Ann Scott

<click here to see Ann's Images.>

ARTIST STATEMENT

"...All else continuing, the stars shining,

The woman ecstatic, with her bare feet the waves, with her hair the atmosphere dallying,

The love in the heart long pent, now loose, now at last tumultuously bursting."

(Sincere apologies to Whitman for messing with his beautiful poem)

Whitman's line of a heart long pent now bursting is precisely the way I feel about my return to painting landscapes and seascapes. This is the work of a long pent up heart City life is convenient but the natural world is where my heart lives. My first experiences in life come from the backwoods of Canada where I grew up and was imprinted early on with a deep and abiding love of nature. The landscapes and seascapes are travelogues of my time spent in nature where I seek refuge. They also serve as record for two remarkable artists-in-residencies; one in the dune shacks of Cape Cod and the other on the Western shore of Newfoundland.

My artistic training was very classical and the land/seascapes make good use of that background. However, artistically I find myself in an interesting and curious place. I love the landscape painters of the 1800's (particularly the coastal New England artists) as much as I love the abstract movement, particularly the minimalists and artists such as Serra, Smithson, Heizer, et al.

At various times, throughout my life, I have focused on one form of expression or the other. When I focus on one I feel something is lacking, incomplete. It wasn't until recently that I began working on both simultaneously and it has been a most fulfilling union of heart and mind.

Through my paintings of the land and sea I want to offer a moment of solitude or a cleansing storm. More than that I want to inspire people to find it for themselves and be moved to become better stewards of this glorious planet. Put down the cell phones, calendars, tech toys, all the empty calories of daily living and reach for the good stuff, smell the air of the sea and woods, hear the bird's song, feel the wind and return to what is real.