landscapes that provide an escape
Our Philosophy
Nature is sacred and as such has the ability to heal old wounds. My journey into this work began as a way to cope with mental illness and depression. By focusing on the details of a nature scene, I begin to free myself from dark places. I try to capture nature’s sacredness by painting extraordinary moments in time in different landscape settings whether it’s a crisp fall day in aspen covered mountains or a windswept prairie covered in a rainbow of wildflowers. Not just any landscape scene will satisfy me. It’s something that goes beyond painting mere trees and rocks and water. I search for a landscape that speaks to me and tells me its story so I can translate it onto paper for the viewer to understand. It’s about the magic that light creates when it hits these objects and changes their cliche colors; rocks are not gray and water is not blue. Instead, mountains turn magenta in a sunset and water turns yellow with the coming of fall. The scenes aren’t always static and silent either, but communicate the roar and heat of lava pouring over a cliffside or the beating of the ocean on a black sand beach. I am inviting people to see this primal beauty and use all their senses. Nature is truly amazing and I’m simply trying to bring it into people’s homes. And maybe, nature will start speaking to you too.
Our Promise
Care for the Original Drawings.
Extra care is given to the original drawings so as to preserve their vibrancy. The drawings are not sprayed with fixative which dulls the color. The originals are framed and matted for preservation and quality display.
Original Art
All art offered by transform. studio are all original pieces.
Shipping + Handling
All prints ship free of charge and ship flat rather than rolled. Original drawings in frames ship with an additional shipping charge, either USPS or Fed Ex, your choice.
High Quality Prints
The prints offered are all high quality prints on a textured, heavy weight fine art paper printed by a local printer in Portland, Oregon. The vibrancy of the pastels are not sacrificed, preserving the color of the original drawing.
My Process
It all starts with the search for magic - all the scenes that I choose have to have an element of magic about them. Painting also usually is accompanied by three seemingly unrelated things: I light a scented candle that is usually nature-inspired, I put on some music, and I make myself a cup of coffee. These things contribute to a mindfulness practice, playing to all my senses.
Next, I study the image in depth. I analyze the colors, being sure not to look over even the smallest detail because it’s in the details that magic is created. Trees are not always green and water is not always blue.
Then the painting begins. The beginning of painting is always the hardest - laying the groundwork which actually looks terrible and nothing like the final piece. It’s when I get to the details that the process starts to become exciting. With each detail comes a breath of life and magic. When I’m painting, I’m zoomed in at about 400% of the final size. I have to make sure to get up, stand the piece up and step back . This puts things back into perspective and sometimes I find myself smiling because I can see the magic again.
Finally, when I decide I’ve captured all the magic, I put my initials on the piece, unpeel the tape, and again I set the piece up and stand back five feet. This is when I feel a mix of feelings. I am a perfectionist, so I know when I may not have captured something just right so that starts to cloud my judgment of the final piece. However, sometimes I’m able to revel in what I created. I love sharing my finished pieces with others - spreading joy and love of nature.
