Artists Statement
It is the light that invigorates and compels me to paint. I sometimes wonder if light and atmosphere
are more vital to our sense of place than the physical character of the land. Conditions of light engender a scene with wholly different color ranges which, in turn, strike different emotional chords, evoking a variety of moods. Faithfully representing the light is at the heart of my paintings. I imagine most people who respond favorably to my work do so because they like its impressionistic qualities. I surely owe a great debt to Impressionism, but I?m also strongly influenced by more recent American
painters. Edward Hopper, Fairfield Porter, and Richard Diebenkorn are heroes of mine. I love the paradox of making an illusion of light, space, and atmosphere out of paint on a flat canvas surface. To make an illusion that looks almost photographic from a distance, but dissolves into mysterious paint surfaces upon close inspection is what I delight in. Seen up close, the surface of my big paintings reveals a final product made up of multiple layers of color that still show through in places. This can offer insights to the decision making process my picture making entails. I juxtapose transparent, translucent, and opaque passages to enhance this effect.

Peter M. Loftus