The natural world is a sacred space. It’s the world in which we evolved and which we called home for most of human existence. It’s been genetically programmed into our psyche as the place that provides a comfort and a beauty that can never be matched by modern materialism. It is free of the symbolic references to who we should be, who we have been, and what we should consume as dictated by our culture. It just exists on its own accord regardless of our thoughts and wishes. It is a place that evokes deep emotional responses in all of us who will listen.

There is a certain beauty in how natural light describes this landscape. This beauty can only be observed through the combination of human eyes relating with human emotion. It is a beauty that resonates deeply within our spirit, but usually on an unconscious level. I have come to see it as my artistic mission to examine this beauty and create art that reminds others of its existence. To this purpose I spend a great deal of time with my sketch box on location recording what I see. Surrounded by trees, water, and the sky, I observe and record how my eyes experience the effects of light and my emotional responses. As my years of studying have passed, I have begun to realize the richness and depth of our vision. We see not just objects, but the relationships of these objects to each other as seen through the passing conditions of light. The entire landscape resonates with light that creates it.  Being present in this landscape also evokes a response that becomes the emotional basis for my picture.

Back in my studio, I use my sketches as learning tools to create greater and more complex compositions. With a bow to the generations of master landscape artists, I strive to go beyond the traditional approach and create dancing compositions and complex textures. I use the colors and lighting effects that I observe while sketching in nature to maintain the feel and authenticity of my original observations. Basically, I strive to convey the  “truth” of natural light upon the natural world in an artistic and interesting way.

Bart Bemus

              Chicago - 2008