PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Randi Ford’s unique paintings feature wavy brush strokes and repeating patterns. The patterns add movement to an otherwise representational naturescape. They bring an underlying spirit to the surface, making a static scene come to life. Ford calls her works “flow paintings,” and she
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Michael Pfleghaar’s landscape painting process begins in the field, but it is rarely finished there. Instead, Pfleghaar captures what first strikes him—features with abstract or asymmetrical qualities—and then he takes what he’s started back to his studio, where his approach to the
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Yolanda Gonzalez frequents natural areas seeking inspiration close to the earth. Rather than landscapes, she prefers to study individual plants and insects for their unique intricacies. “I love to get really up close and personal to whatever plants, flowers, seedlings and things like
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series During a tour of a Scotland nature preserve in 2018, photographer Thomas Hegewald witnessed first hand the healing effect restoration projects can have on a landscape. The land he was touring had been used for commercial forestry and planted with nonnative trees.
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series On a warm, sunny morning in late May, Jean Allemeier Boot sat on a bench in Roselle Park. She faced a wetland alive with birdsong and glowing with the vibrant greens of spring. Before her stood an easel and the beginnings of
Shilin Hora grew up in a home surrounded by a peach farm, a pumpkin patch and a vineyard. The granddaughter of a farmer, she spent much of her childhood interacting with nature. “When you’re working with produce, picking at berries, you’re always looking at the minute—looking
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Anne’s house is located in Saugatuck along a winding road that borders the winding Kalamazoo River. The leafy crowns of the surrounding towering trees fracture the sunlight, so it dances gleefully on the house’s dark wood siding. A wild, blooming garden wraps around
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Steven Hughes’ watercolor landscapes are stunningly intricate and detailed; the lakes and streams shimmer and sparkle, the rocks and trees seem to glow, the skies blend vibrant colors and dance with clouds. His portrait drawings are hauntingly beautiful, capturing both an expression and
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Grandfathers add a special joy to our lives. They pull candy from their pockets when no one else is looking and they late us stay up way later than our parents ever would. Teresa O’Brien’s grandfather taught her the joy of creating art. “My
PRESERVED! Artist Interview Series Raul Velasco is a conceptual photographer, meaning he manipulates photos to tell a story. Most of his work is surreal—a man’s head with birds flying out of it or someone being carried away by balloons. His personal favorite is of him and Chino–his