View/respond artist statement of Shawn Demarest

Painting from Observation Statement

From a

young age, I've been entranced with qualities of light and

varieties of color. At

the same time, I appreciate being completely

present and alive within a moment.

Painting a scene, and watching it

unfold, contract, expand, lighten, darken,

while responding with paint

and gesture puts me squarely in the moment, and

allows me a genuine

response to the life before me. This dialogue with a river, a

street, the

sun, cars, helps me find my place in the world.

In 2010 my focus has been on the Willamette River and the bridges along

it. The interaction of the bridge supports & and water they pass through

provides a play of light/shadow/reflection that is a joy to paint. New this

year is my bicycle trailer which I use to haul my supplies to various

locations. This has provided me access to areas that were too difficult to

reach last year.

The time I spend plein air painting greatly enriches my ability to paint

using photos as reference or inspiration in the studio.