Inspiring: Kelly Neidig

I've been really drawn to landscapes recently. Abstracted landscape paintings to be specific. I think there's always a part of me that sees a quilt in every view. My housemate recently went to a show at the Guardino gallery on NE Alberta here in Portland. When she came back she said, "Deb, you're going to love Kelly Neidig." She's right.

Kelly Neidig trained as a landscape architect before pursuing art. She states:

"The fundamental influence on my art comes from my education in Landscape Architecture. I learned how to create three-dimensional space and how to represent that on a two-dimensional surface. My abstract landscape paintings also stem from an interest in urban sprawl and it’s consumption of forests and farmlands. I have lived most of my life in urban neighborhoods so many of my experiences of the places where suburban meets rural come from glimpses I catch passing by on the highway. ...Brightly colored stripes represent details of the landscape that vanish to the horizon and are juxtaposed against unmoving skies. The colors become an element that creates a feeling of nostalgia for place. The overall effect is a view of the land as seen from traveling in an automobile at high speeds."

I love these paintings. I see them as inspiration for future quilts (?!). And pieces to save my pennies for.

Images provided by the artist. These paintings were inspired by a month-long trip Kelly took to Iceland in February.

1. Vik, 18x18", oil on canvas, $648
2. Sheep Crossing, 24x24", oil on canvas, $864
www.kellyneidig.com