Jama Hansonbrook

Artist Statement

My love of painting outdoors on location informs all of my artwork, including larger studio work. I feel that the plein air experience, subject to changes in weather and lighting and in which I am constantly present to my surroundings, allows me to lose myself in something larger than myself. It is almost a religious experience. Many of my landscapes depict scenes in which human activity is dwarfed or subsumed by nature or depict memories of locations or times now past. Many of my figurative paintings locate the figures in nature and explore both the joyful connections between individuals and the fragile and ephemeral nature of these moments.

In all of my paintings I rely on my vibrant use of color, as well as an interest in shape, pattern, and texture, to convey a sort of everyday sublime: the fleeting and transporting experiences humans can encounter in the natural world. My painting language continues to evolve as I look for ways to conjure connections with events and people changed or gone. I am interested in spotlighting our interdependence with the natural world, our community, and our history, all of which enriches the human experience.