SKAGIT LANDSCAPE OF THE MIND VIII: CASCADES MAGIC
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SUMMER 2024

     While living on the Olympic Peninsula, landscapes were all about the big trees.  Forested lands are special for the micro-views dominated by massive, towering trees, dense understory shrubs, and ground-dwelling plants that thrive in the dark forest gloom.  Literally, it’s impossible to see the forest through the trees, and the views create a sense of peace and beauty.  Our views changed considerably since we moved to the farmlands of Skagit Valley.  Skagit Valley has its own particular beauty where it’s all about the macro-view: surrounding mountains and the ever-changing sky above.  The mountains in particular have inspired me to continue my “landscape of the mind” series.  The concept of “the landscape of the mind” (see art historian Shuichi Kato’s 1994 book Japan: Spirit and Form) is one opposed to a realistic painting of the actual scene, encouraging me to focus only on the key elements that come to mind.  I chose a palette of blacks and grays to portray the scene, with touches of silver to represent rising mists and a fog-bank covering the lowlands.  I made the frame out of red oak using pegged, hand-joined, mortise-and-tenon construction methods.  I used the Japanese technique (shou-sugi-ban) of charring and oiling the oak to finish the frame.
 
DIMENSIONS:          HEIGHT:  8 3/8 inches
                                  WIDTH:  29 inches

                                                           PRICE $400

Gary Giovane
La Conner, WA
[email protected]