Artist Statement

“There are people in these paintings, but they’re not portraits. They’re about communing with nature, sun warming our shoulders, wind ruffling our hair, grass cool and damp under our bare feet. Children making castles in the sand, offering up their stick drawings to the lake. The lone paddler deftly maneuvering through the shallows and the young woman quietly sipping her morning coffee. Breathing deeply, engaging all our senses. Wandering and exploring and bonding through new adventures. Being still long enough for the cat to jump into our lap, the cows to approach the fence, our boisterous lab to bring us a stick. 

My palette reflects the brilliant sunshine with cool, beachy blues in water and sky and rosy, saturated pinks and reds in sun-warmed skin and hair. The figures are often small or off to one side so that the landscape expands to fill the space. This gives the paintings visual breathing room so that the viewer can feel that expansiveness. While the kids are completely absorbed in their play, the grown-ups are lost in thought, gazing out to the horizon. Slowing down, restoring and re-energizing.”  

                       – Debra Krakow