Artist Statement

The work included here is representative of the current direction of my painting. It is a recent stage of a landscape continuum that began in my undergraduate studies where I was fortunate to be able to paint directly from nature. While my career has taken me through various phases during which I incorporated constructed elements and mixed media, I have always included landscape or streetscape as an element. Thematically, my work was intended to bring awareness ofthe finite quality ofthe natural environment. The locations I am portraying are mostly regional, a few being from the western part of the country.

My working method involves small studies from nature with larger compositions following that are produced in the studio. I also work in the field during the summer months. I prefer the tactile sensations of painting with oil on canvas. I am interested in composition and light as elements to be manipulated in order to depict the mood of the setting.

There seems to be a basic human need to experience vast space and natural phenomena. We pause to take it in when the moment strikes us. Light, color, atmosphere and the season are all part of what has stopped me at these places.

But open space is also a commodity. The images I have created in this series are from locations that captured my attention -some are gone already while others remain for now. Whether in the field or working to develop a painting further in the studio, I become totally engaged in the collective sensations encountered during the careful study ofa natural space.

— Craig Lloyd