John Fennell
Earth, Sky, Water: Landscapes of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri

Years ago in art school classes as I was supposed to be painting from the model, I found myself staring through the window examining the view. I didn’t know what I was looking for but knew that the means of expression I sought was not in that room but somewhere out there. Since that time, the landscape – in all of its variations – has been my chief means of expression as an artist. Like music, the painted landscape is a vehicle to communicate what words simply cannot.

Change prompts new ideas, new ways of thinking. Moving to Columbia two and a half years ago stirred me in ways I hadn’t quite anticipated. The rolling hills, open skies, the lakes and creeks around Columbia, as well as the great Missouri River just beyond, have provided me with a constant source of visual stimulation. These works, some painted on location or in my studio from sketches, were inspired from walks or bike rides on the Katy Trail or from the car window, speeding along a Missouri highway at 70 miles an hour or slowly traversing a country road. Like an uprooted plant becoming accustomed to new soil, these paintings reflect the nourishment I have found in the earth, sky and water that now envelops me.