In my paintings, I talk about the consistency of change in nature. My work speaks of the fragility of life and celebrates the glory of transition. I used to paint en plein air, taking paints, board and easel outside to be true to the scene in front of me. Painting day after day at the same site, it became clear to me that what I wanted to paint was not a fixed and constant scene. The light shifted, the weather changed, the leaves fell; moment to moment it was not the same place. I watched pond turn to meadow, meadow to forest and forest to concrete. I wanted to capture that. I have been expanding the context, not just in terms of time but also space and causality. I paint the sum of my understanding of the landscape. I combine different scenes as well as different moments, conveying my sense of how they connect. My experience of place is always filtered through memory. I exaggerate and edit. My paintings encompass something growing and something dying. When I paint, I squint my eyes looking for the minute that stands in for the monumental.
To inquire about a piece for sale please email ilana@manolson.com
Pieces marked with a red dot “” are sold.
CV linked here.