Douglas Girard
June, 2009
Title of Show
Fields, Figures and Feathers
Medium
This show will be of oil on canvas paintings
First Friday Reception
The reception will be on Friday, June 5th from 5:30-8pm
Artist Statement
My paintings are about seeking beauty in nature.
Growing up in Africa I spent many hours studying pictures of Europe, Canada and Alaska in the National Geographic magazine. The grasslands and rolling hills of Africa never inspired me as did the mountains of the northern continents. I longed to be in northern forests looking out across a vista dominated by towering peaks. These distant places of my imagination became symbols for me of a bygone era when mankind lived as one with nature in a time free of the clutter and distractions of our age.
I finally moved to Alaska in 1993, and it was here that I found landscapes that truly inspired me. In the mountains of the Chugach and Talkeetna ranges, I found those cathedrals of stillness I had dreamed about when I was a child. Feeling the cool wind on my face while standing on the shores of hidden mountain lakes surrounded by jagged mountain peaks, a great sense of awe overcame me. Here at last my soul was in harmony with nature.
My landscapes are created from a great love of nature’s many changing moods, and the sense of mystery and expectation that is created from ever varying colors and shapes. Shifting clouds that create spots of light that dance over the mountains is what catches my eye. The interplay between massive rock walls, water, and low hanging clouds are also endlessly intriguing to me. A magical moment is when clouds move over and envelope the mountains, dissolving rocky peaks and shimmering water into a mysterious apparition. Distant craggy islands, hidden lakes, misty mountains, small ponds and fog enshrouded fields are also inspirational. When figures find their way into the mysterious places of the mountains the are seeking the music of beauty that resonates off of the mountain sides across the water, through the mist and into the deepest parts of their ancient souls.
Additional Works
