B  R  E  N  D  A     H  O  W  E  L  L

Wild and spectacular landscapes have the power to take one out of ordinary reality. They give an important connection with the remarkable beauty of the world—but there is something else about them that draws like a magnet. It is a momentary melting of the ego and a glimpse of the big picture. Subconscious elements of symbolism are everywhere in the natural landscape and create emotional responses that come from deep within, bypassing the left brain and connecting straight to the heart. The colors, textures, and patterns revealed by dramatic light on rock structures and living forms are inspirations to me. My emotional response is to make paintings. When I am outside painting in these wild places I am enlivened by the connection to the subject. The process involves long, careful seeing. When I am back in the studio I bring to mind and evoke that experience along with my sketches and photographs to create my studio work. What I want to create is a painting that represents a bit of the magic.

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