Nocturnes

In this series of “Nocturnes,” I focus on depicting tree forms at the time of the day when the sun has set and twilight slowly spreads over the land, transforming former multidimensionality into flattened notes of diminishing contrast. The time of day when the retreating light casts three-dimensional objects into silhouette, and color is desaturated from vibrant greens to neutral grays, and the values between light and dark that earlier in the day would define objects and textures, slowly merge into abstracted forms.

Applying a musical term to the series title of these pensive, moody works, is related to musical expressions such as “study” or “harmony” as a way to deemphasize potential narrative content and instead to emphasize the more muted tonal qualities and soft diffused northern light that imbues a strong sense of melancholy indicative of the rural environment where I live.

2021