Magical Landscapes

In late 2020, I began a series of mixed media landscape collages inspired by the quiet beauty, tranquility and harmony of traditional Japanese landscape art. My aim was to calm the negative emotions I had since 2015 in reaction to the disheartening political and global situation. I wanted to create worlds that satisfied the viewer’s inner longing for peace, calm and magic.

 

These collages may look like traditional Japanese landscapes, but on closer examination, they are imaginary, illogical landscapes that exist in their own magical world. I start by finding a landscape image that attracts me. It could be a Japanese landscape print, an ordinary landscape photograph that I took, or even an insurance company calendar photograph.  That image becomes a springboard to create an entirely different landscape guided by my instinct and imagination.