Conard Holton

"I paint the landscapes that surround me. These paintings are of very specific places, each with its own ecology and geology, human history, and weather. I look for the deep space in each scene, and use color—sometimes intensely—to create a sense of familiarity and stability contrasted with a sense of strangeness. Through the paintings, I’m asking that we pay attention to this beautiful, unknowable natural world. My primary inspiration is, of course, the natural landscape--much in the way that it inspired classical Chinese poets and painters--but seeking a Western context. Painters who have inspired me range from Cézanne and Bonnard to Richard Diebenkorn, Joan Mitchell, and Tom Thomson. I grew up outside of Philadelphia, in pre-sprawl farm country that formed the root of my attachment to the land. Since moving to upstate New York, the farmland, forests, waters, and mountains of the region have been the primary subjects of my work. My oil paintings have been in numerous solo shows and juried exhibitions throughout the region, and I’m represented by several galleries. I am both a plein air painter and studio artist, and work from studios in Brunswick and Bolton Landing, New York."