‘A successful painting does not make a point or send a message. A good painting has an ineffable, mysterious quality. It eschews technique, and is a refinement of the commonplace.’

~John Register

‘I see countless landscapes, photograph barely 1 in a 100,000, and paint barely 1 in 100 of those that I photograph. I am seeking something quite specific.’

~Gerhard Richter

As one among a number of California landscape artists (esp. one now offering his landscape paintings for sale) I love these quotes, because they come close—from artists’ perspectives—to answering a variety of unanswerable questions:

• Why make landscape paintings?
• Why landscape oil paintings?
• What drove me to create California landscape art?
• What’s the value in original landscape paintings? That is, what is the special value that wall art painting has? And why does it have such a unique hold on us?

I wonder about these things, because if I’m going to offer original oil paintings for sale—paintings of California to be  precise—I ought to have some deeper understanding about why it makes sense.

And you’ll not only find California landscape paintings in my oeuvre, I’ve also made abstract landscape oil painting.

So, take a moment to re-read and consider the above quotes. Yes, mystery will always remain. Some non-physical, universal energy impels artists like me to paint. And it makes sense to offer my landscape oil paintings for sale, because the value of oil paintings—though still not explicitly understood—is beyond all doubt. 

I’ve found Picasso’s wisdom undeniable: painting is stronger than I am. It does make me do whatever it wants.