Anyone who has viewed my paintings on my website StephenAustinArt.com will have noticed that I charge up my landscapes with dramatic skies. My intention here is to explore the relationship between the elements of land and air. Great drama in this interaction makes for some dynamic scenes of power, as well as moments of peaceful tranquility - think soft fog creeping over a mountain ridge.
One of the most influential painters in this style of atmospheric display is the English Romanticist landscapist, William Turner. Since my early art school days, I have marveled at Turner’s fluid style and keen eye for light and color. This summer my wife, Kim and I, had the pleasure of standing before Turner’s mind-blowing land and seascapes at The Tate Museum in London. The hours spent drinking in the stunning sunsets and violent snowstorms - as well as the massive John Singer Sargent exhibit - went by in what seemed minutes. Not being one to let moments of inspiration like that go to waste, I immediately set to work incorporating Turner’s energy into my landscapes when I got back to Colorado – see Snow #3 below.
Snowstorm: Steamboat off a Harbours’ Mouth, JMW Turner
What I hope to emulate from Turner’s paintings is the pure dynamic energy of the atmosphere.
Essentially, I’m a sucker for drama and am drawn to a spectacle. Peaceful valleys dripping with soft sunshine and doe-eyed cattle and frisky chickens may sound ideal for those seeking solace – and who doesn’t need that visual comfort from time to time – but I really do prefer the excitement of a good adrenaline rush!
Snow #3, Stephen Austin
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Atmosphere #2, Stephen Austin
I believe there exists a great opportunity to explore contemporary landscape painting in the
future and refuse to believe it passe or quaint (God, I do hate those words. They drip with faux sophistication). There remains a limitless source for exploration in this genre. And while I shall look toward the future in landscape painting, I continue to find inspiration from the great landscape artists from the past. Thumbing through books on Turner, Constable, Winslow Homer and others is a great meditation. It’s like sliding into a hot bath of familiar contentment. But then every steamy bath loses its heat over time, and we must rise, towel off, and then resume our busy life.
And so, as summer ends and winter begins to show its icy presence, I begin to experience
real anticipation for that monumental show that will play out as those raging blizzards of the
season come tearing across the lofty passes and peaks of this gorgeous State of Colorado.
Kim and I cherish these exhilarating days and nights in the San Luis Valley spent in splendid
isolation. I’m sure William Turner would have loved a year or two such a place!