Shiny, new things are nice, but I prefer antiques that are imbued with life.
North Dakota has always been my home, and I have always been fond of the old buildings that rested on the prairie. Each building with its slivering wood has a hidden story, and each time one collapses or is set aflame, history dies. The landscape and animals upon it keep changing, and though I can't save an old church from crumbling to the ground or a tranquil valley from being urbanized, I can capture it.
One day everything we know will be different. Our present is a gift, and in the future, it will only be memories. A picture can capture a thousand words, but it takes a painting to capture emotion. I want to capture what I see for both the people of today and the people who may never get to experience it. Perhaps we can hold onto the past for so long, but eventually everything changes. When I paint my present, my world, I am painting the future’s past.
