dipping my brush in my soul - jana van wyk: high desert painters

Showing posts with label high desert painters. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Hondo Valley Church, 12x16, oil on linen, plein air

This painting is now in the collection of the Rich and Bev De Vries family. Thank you for supporting original art, jana

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Along the Chama River

In Oct 2009 the High Desert Painters spent a week in northern New Mexico painting on location. Several of us set up along the banks of the river. The sun was beginning to set and the light and long shadows created a peaceful and colorful scene.

Earlier on that day, Janis Loverin and I had set up our easels (above) with a view of the cliffs and the Chama river.

Jana Van Wyk

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." -Henry Ward Beecher. This is my journey of dipping my brush into my own soul and painting what I find. I have a passion for our American West and those landscapes are my primary focus. But, averaging 6-8 weeks of travel a year, I will paint whereever I am. I usually paint on location, i.e. plein air, but also revel in taking a plein air study and my photographs and using them to create a large, more thoughtful, studio work. In addition to bold brushwork and vibrant color, the power of the composition is becoming more important to my work. The work of Vincent Van Gogh, Maynard Dixon, Edgar Payne, Birger Sandzen, and Walt Gonske has been a huge inspiration to me.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Pilar Yacht Club

There was not a yacht in sight but the idea of a yacht club in the middle of the high desert did cool us off on a warm day in May! The High Desert Painters posed for this photo after a day painting along the Rio Grande Gorge in northern New Mexico.

The High Desert Painters in Pilar, NM - l to r: Jana Van Wyk, Judy Howells, Nelson Hubley, Coni Grant, Nita Harper, Ron, and Janis Loverin.