JAMES URMSTON: Landscapes

Landscape is my subject of choice. In my work I explore the mountains, valleys and canyons of Southern California, seeking views just beyond the architectural intrusion of man. These natural settings satisfy a search for a subject both beautiful in form and rich in formal and historical reference. The traditions of idealism, symbolism, and fantasy in landscape painting inform my choice of subject.

The beauty I find in this natural setting is born of the solitude and quiet. These places are superficially empty but filled with primordial grandeur. For me early morning or late afternoon light best visually organizes the special features of each setting.

In each painting I try to adapt the formal possibilities of whatever medium I use to the special physical features of the place I am interpreting. Recently, the medium of choice has been oil. Oil has a unique physical presence for me as I move the brush from mixing pallet to careful brush manipulation on the canvas surface. These sensations combine with the physical features of the landscape subject to capture light and atmosphere, producing perceived volume and spatial depth. An early morning light creates a veil of lightness and transparency. Late afternoon light produces strong contrasts that yield a sense of drama- all by the brush coming into contact with the canvas.

Lake Powell Cliff Face II, 2009, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"

Lake Powell Tower Bluff, 2009, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"