Reid Thorpe

Artist Statement

My philosophy of creating art stems from and strongly incorporates my personal study
of aesthetics, a branch of philosophy dealing with beauty. I strive to capture beauty in each
piece of art. My current work explores feelings of nostalgia and concepts of fragmentation-the
way separate components work to create a whole- within landscapes.

I begin by experiencing nature, hiking, sitting, or driving the back-roads of the
Midwest…observing. I take photographs and notes of areas and spaces that inspire me. Once
back at my studio, I select photographs and begin the painting process. I work through
composition and color to obtain the feel, beauty and essence of the scene. I look for fragments
in the composition and allow myself to stray from the photograph for the benefit of the work as
a whole.

My current work is strongly influenced by several geographical locations. I take the
colors and feelings from these places in an effort to capture the characteristics that make them
beautiful and near to my heart. I have spent many summers (and some chilly winters) in
northern Wisconsin hiking, boating, and relaxing, and I currently live in Minnesota near the
Landscape Arboretum. My wife’s family is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and I have grown to
appreciate the open prairies and vast expanse of sky. My work focuses on these landscapes.
While the scenery may differ greatly in each of these places, I find a sense of peace and beauty
present among all three.

I have felt an urge to explore the land in these areas through paint, specifically oil. I
choose oil because I enjoy the richness and the luminosity it holds. The size of my work varies
because I feel that landscapes can be either intimate or immense. I try to explore that idea by
experimenting with the scale of my work. My work continues to grow through process and
experimentation of techniques and media.