Kay Brathol-Hostvet, PSA

Artist's Statement

Nature is always hinting at us.  It hints over and over again.

And suddenly we take the hint.

---Robert Frost

            For almost three decades, my primary creative focus has been the Midwestern landscape. My works are a synthesis of the American landscape tradition and self-expression. The artists George Inness, Martin Johnson Heade, and Wolf Kahn have had a profound impact on my interest in the emotive landscape. The open expanse of a landscape can personify sincerity; it can also represent personal freedom, or embody loneliness or isolation. Dynamism in nature is intimately linked to psychological states. The landscape with its constantly changing light and shadow, weather and seasons becomes a metaphor for our moods and emotions.

            My work in soft pastel has been described as Contemporary Regionalism—a celebration of the land, but with a modern aesthetic.  I am particularly interested in the concept of quiet anticipation—an expectant stillness that one feels at certain times of the day. I work from a combination of sources: my own photographs taken on photo journeys into the local countryside, notes that I take when on those journeys, and design and value studies. The photos act as a catalyst and reminder of form. While the paintings may look photorealistic, they are carefully designed with an intent to capture that transient moment.

Link to Kay's website here