Before the Light

I paint HORIZONS,
I grew up in Iowa in the 1970’s. I recall the endless expanses of land & sky from the back seat of my parents Lincoln on long country drives to my grandparents river-valley farm. This memory is deeply rooted in my love for long horizons and my fantasy of the “other” place I imagined…out there. While I have many wonderful memories from my childhood, I was always looking for an exit. In a small town, with few new places to explore, the better world for me lay somewhere out on the horizon. I left, followed the horizon, and my life blossomed.
I am a painter of abstract land & seascapes. My present work pivots on one central theme…the powerful geometry of long & linear horizons rooted in my childhood. For me, horizons equal possibility and a promise of new beginnings…a view & path to a better place…a dividing line between the present (chaotic) and the future (hopeful). The horizon is a constant that we can count on. Through multiple narratives of both land and sea, my work visually and emotionally takes the viewer to a restful place where their eyes can wander within the deep expanse of each painting and wonder what lays on the horizon for them. I want every viewer to see my horizons as a place of self-discovery and encouragement to move forward with an openness to the unknown.

In my journey, from Iowa to New York, ultimately landing in California, I continue to visit my childhood self… a restless, curious and creative boy…eyes wide open…a pathfinder of horizons offering new beginnings.
Robert Frost wrote…

‘For, who can look “out far” or “in deep” to the endless mystery of human life and death, and not wonder wherever the truth may be on the horizon? Whether “on the land” of our ordinary perspectives or “on the sea” of our more unusual views and speculations, we are both limited by our capacities and distinctly suited by our longings and aspirations.’
Jon Leafstedt (aka LEAF)