Self Portrait
16 x 20 Oil Painting |
Artist StatementMy paintings are of places I find myself deeply connected to. I am compelled to capture the impressions I am left with in those special places I have come across in the hikes I have taken, particularly in my home state of Montana and my adopted state of Arizona. I select views of landscapes that capture sun, shadow, and changing weather conditions that interest me, allowing the ever dominant and changing sky to play a featured role in my paintings. Water, in all of its forms, is another defining element in the arid West, and I am constantly drawn to it.
I often place distant figures in my paintings, not only leaving the viewer to decide the possible storyline that placed that figure in the scene, but also providing a more familiar human scale to the vastness of our western landscapes. The power of nature is ever present in the quiet solitude of my walks and inspires me to share my emotional connections to these special places through my paintings. |
Artist Bio |
Dave Burns, a native of Montana, is a retired architect, having lived and worked as an architect in Tucson, Arizona since 1984. He was the Design Principal of BWS Architects for 22 years.
He received his Masters of Architecture degree from Montana State University, and has designed buildings throughout the western United States. Throughout his career, Dave has worked in many forms of media, including pastel, pen and ink, pencil, colored pencil, watercolor, and oil paints. Dave has participated in painting workshops given by Lee McVey, Doug Dawson, Phil Starke, Ray Roberts, and Brad Holt. |