Most of what I do is for my own pleasure—painting natural lands en plein air. I enjoy those places that are truly rare lands -- wide open; rugged, even uninhabited. But truth be known, simple farm lands and local gardens, and State Parks and Forests, are also interesting and far more accessible.  What I paint depends largely on time; the total time available to me. When I go to Canada for the summer or the American West in the winter, there is ample time – time to find interesting sites and to paint all day. (Seldom is a good painting done in a day, or even two. When time does not allow me to return to finish, I will create a watercolor sketch or shoot a dozen or so photos of the scene, then complete the painting in my studio).  I seek to create paintings whose subjects are recognizable to anyone, yet convey a mood or feeling that is special for me. When a viewer sees both, I am especially pleased. Only a series of paintings, like “Open Spaces Great Places”, will have a common style, since I like to range from the generally realistic to the broadly abstract. If there is one mantra I work by, it would be: “simple shapes -- complex colors”. I prefer oil pigments as my medium because of their textural quality. They also enable me to more easily convey my thoughts and feelings fluidly to the canvas. Oils offer wide range of hues. My palette, however, usually consists of only the three warm and cool primaries, and white. The added time required to mix the proper tints and shades of each hue on my palette enables me to study the scene more carefully, seeking out the subtle variations in light value and intensity in each portion of subject. I recommend painting to anyone of any age. It provides much joy. It cultivates feelings of wonder and awe; and appreciation of nature’s majesty. If it does not extend your total days, it sure adds to the pleasure of those you are given.

www.athensart.org/spronck/