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Artist's Statement "Growing up in the desert southwest, the land of enchantment, the spirit of space permeated my soul from an early age. My intense sense of nature was instilled in me by my parent's love for camping and exploring state and national parks, super girl scout adventures, and many horseback desert trail rides. Perhaps it is from living in the desert that I became so aware of the space between land and sky, the fantastic shapes of cactus, the movement of wind, the play of light and shadow, as we move through the amazing, ever changing landscape. In my paintings, I want to invite the viewer to share this experience of communion with nature, the omnipresent, yet playful spirit I sense; I call it the “Gift of Fairy Sight” (from the animated film, Fern Gully). This vision is not limited to the desert however. In fact, it was a kayak trip during graduate school, through a magical enchanted swamp forest, that really set my artistic vision spinning. The amazing distorted tree creatures leapt into my heart, took a bath in my southwest colors and danced onto my canvases. It was a yeehaw, cha cha, sorta Vincent van Gogh meets Dr Seuss kinda thang, and I have been doing this cosmic dance in my landscapes ever since. Home | Artwork | Artist's Statement | Resume | Art-o-Biography | Children's Books | Contact All images are © Karyn Drum