Depth

One of the most enviable skills in landscape is showing depth. That is, when a painter finds a way to show the viewers a vast landscape, it's generally awe-inspiring.  As an example the great Russian, Isaac Levitan (1860-1900) was a master at capturing depth. In "Vladimirka Highway" he shows us a vista similar to those we commonly see out here in the midwest--rolling prairieland with a human figure dwarfed by the sky and the land.

Isaac Levitan, "Vladimirka Highway," oil, 1892

My newest studio landscape, "Savanna," was driven in part to attempt just such a distant vista. Here in Iowa we have many areas of flat countryside, much of it created by mile-high glaciers in the last ice ages. "Savanna" was inspired by those, in particular by oak savanna in the Whiterock Conservancy. Here the distant tall grasses and oaks help show depth.

"Savanna," oil on canvas, 24x30