Himsel, Thomas

I have always been a part of Mother Nature. Growing up on a farm all of my perceptions were honed early in life to notice my surroundings and to honor the beauty of nature by respecting its life giving properties. Today, as an artist I am reconnected to my surroundings in a profound way. I now stand before the land and water with brush in hand, trying to capture the immediacy of the moment.

And that immediate moment is the intriguing engagement of plein air painting. The light changes, the wind blows, and things are constantly moving. The challenges that I face force me to paint quickly but doing so with a very concentrated strategy. In this moment, a vital truth is being born and it is impossible to falsify your way through the reality of what you are creating on the canvas. Dozens of decisions must be made simultaneously. I focus on what my brain directs me to see, based upon my on-going studies and hours and hours of observation. It is an intense experience, one which I immensely enjoy.

My goal is to eliminate distractions that are always present and pursue an intentional focus upon three to five big shapes in my composition. I am focused upon a specific group of three values which assists with the orchestration of the painting. I am using warm and cool colors within these three values to unite the painting. I am not interested in showing every detail of all leaves or grass, but want the viewer to "see" with their own experience.