MANDY MAIN

ARTIST STATEMENT

I paint luminous oil paintings of the Northwest landscape, informed by nature and capturing a personal sense of place rather than an exact representation. I focus on panoramic vistas and receding perspectives with a sense of depth and movement and I push these elements to draw the viewer into the painting. The fleeting nature of light and clouds become dramatic subjects in my work. I am an art historian and my passion is 19th Century American landscape painting, especially the Luminists, whose works remain an undying source of inspiration. I alternate between representation and abstraction, using traditional forms and techniques but allowing them to be overshadowed by my own personal vision. The work is dreamy and atmospheric, a view into traditional art history with a modern sensibility.

The paintings are rendered in oils on canvas or wood panels using a subdued palette of warm colors, applied in layers of glazes to achieve a luminous effect. I work in series, usually six paintings at a time, executed in my studio where I paint in silence and total concentration. Before I begin a series I envision where they will ultimately take me. The paintings are with me constantly; I even work on them while I am sleeping. I am continually coming up with ideas of what I want to say about nature and the world and I never want to stop painting. I have to keep expressing these ideas. In this way, the paintings are a spiritual outpouring. A part of my inner being is woven into every painting I create.