Michele Johnsen

Michele Johnsen discusses her painting practice in ART MAKER Issue 1:

I’ve considered myself a landscape painter for almost two decade, but returning to school to pursue a Master’s degree prompted me to inquire into precisely where my work fits into the landscape tradition and why I choose this subject as my primary focus. The description of intimate spaces and sublime vistas are my response to the way the landscape reflects the light and creates patterns on the forms of natural surfaces. Through the use of graduated hues, abstracted mark-making and highly saturated color I am able to articulate a range of emotional responses that speak to aesthetic rationales, and to psychological and spiritual concerns, allowing access into the magic of those special places. Most recently I’ve begun to explore the things that happen below the surface; things that are hidden from our view. I find the fact that trees have the ability to communicate, nurture and connect with one another a source of constant fascination. Ultimately, this passion to describe these moments appears to be a long and never-ending journey that brings attention to both beauty and responsibility.

See more of Enamul's enchanting images in >> ART MAKER Issue 1 .

Michele Johnsen, Do You See What I See II, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 16 in x 12 in.