Brenda Howell Art.com

The Grand Canyon and other sacred and stunning landscapes have the power to take one out of ordinary reality. These places can make one aware of the wonder and privilege of being alive on this earth and are deeply inspirational to me as an artist. My art making is on some level about the mystery of this and sharing my artistic response to these transcendental experiences in nature.

The wild, natural landscape is both powerful and fragile. It gives an important connection with the remarkable beauty of the world. The colors, textures, and patterns revealed by dramatic light are inspirations. Subconscious elements of symbolism are everywhere in the natural landscape and create emotional responses that come from deep within, bypassing the left brain and connecting straight to the heart.

Strong composition, exciting color and other issues come into the process of making the art, but the main objective and why I paint is that I want to re-create and celebrate the feeling that being in that particular outdoor experience gave and to learn from the experience. Each painting involves much careful observation and is an unpredictable adventure. I never know what the end result might be, but only that I have to make the attempt and see what emerges.

Whether it is a dramatic, exciting canyon, a rocky cliff overlooking the sea, an old tree that speaks of endurance and grace, or a uniquely eroded hill exposing the hidden colors beneath the surface, it is great reverence for our relationship to the natural world that entices me to paint.