PAINTING IN 58 NATIONAL PARKS IN 58 MONTHS

Get out of the car and walk into the landscape.

This seems obvious, but the effect of doing just that has been profound.  After spending thousands of miles viewing the landscape from an automobile, this idea, to get out of the car, to walk into and be in the landscape - to see it, hear it, feel it and know it - is at the heart of my work as an artist.  I seek a direct relationship with the landscape through painting it.

In 2011, I decided to give myself permission to go out and paint in as much wild land I could find and get to. The project of painting in each of the 58 National Parks grew out of the realization that much of the land that is easily accessible is preserved in these parks. It seemed reasonable that I could get to all or most of the 58 parks within 58 months, and an idea was born.

Over the past 5 years, the goal to experience these open spaces has allowed for great travel and some good work has come from it. I painted in my first National Park, Canyonlands, on March 18, 2011. In 2012, an additional park, Pinnacles in California, was added to the 58. 59 months later, on February 18, 2016, I painted in Glacier National Park- my 59th park.

I have been amazed to see how much wild and open space has been preserved in our National Parks -- 51.9 million acres, to be exact. The land sits there, awaiting our arrival and exploration. It is in itself a kind of a work of art, allowing each of us to relate to and respond to it in our own way. My work has included just this relating and responding: to be present in these wild spaces and to paint from these explorations.