Lynn Rix

Artist Statement:

I paint because I love the challenge of looking at a familiar scene and simplifying it into shapes, colors and my own vision. Painting from life in the “alla prima”, usually “en plein air”techniques, with quick brush work and a limited palette, forces me to work spontaneously. I give the viewer a quick snapshot of a particular moment in time; an impression of an effect of light I felt to be beautiful. I have spent most of my life living in Wisconsin and adore its four seasons. Painting outside in all weather conditions is both invigorating and challenging and never boring!

 I usually work on smaller canvases in order to be able to complete a painting in 2-4 hours capturing the sun before it moves on. I particularly enjoy painting the Wisconsin rural landscape and small towns in all four of our unique seasons: Winters after a snowfall with the kaleidoscope of vibrant color begs me to paint; Spring when the fields are full of life, the trees are budding and the warmth of the sun makes me feel alive with the paint brush; Summer finds me in my little boat painting on our pristine inland lakes; Autumn when the hot oranges, reds and golds of the trees and fields vibrate against the cool blue of the sky.

I began painting in 1995 while living in the south of France. I was physically and emotionally compelled to try to put down on canvas the beauty of the area’s atmosphere, sunlight, buildings and everyday life. It was impossible not to find inspiration in the same region where Matisse, Renoir, Cezanne, van Gogh, and countless others had set up their easels. An inspiration that has sustained me in the pursuit of creating the fresh canvas.