The Scenic Route: California Impressions

As an artist and lifelong Californian, my paintings are heavily influenced by my surroundings. In this series of landscapes my goal was to take quintessential California scenery and portray it in a slightly more abstracted form while still retaining the traits that make each painting recognizably "Californian." This collection, along with all my other work, attempts to do this with an economy of stroke that speaks of both the paint and what to me is the visceral beauty of whatever I'm trying to portray. I want to capture something, tweak it a little bit visually, and put it back out there for people to enjoy. – Robert Anke

Scenic landscapes throughout California create endless inspiration for my work. My goal is to capture the essence of something beautiful on the canvas. Viewers describe my paintings as calm, serene, and restful. I am continuing to explore color and a painterly, slightly abstract feel in my work. I met Robert only a year ago and am excited to share an exhibition with him. I was immediately taken with his “economy of stroke” and have endeavored to incorporate a bit of that style in my work. Let me know what you see. – Jean Purnell