gary heise

"Despite the fact that the genre of landscape painting is a very old tradition, it has great contemporary relevance for me. Landscape painting represents a dialog between myself and the world of creation, as well as serving as

 a vehicle for self-expression."
"I work in a semi-abstract manner, with ink and watercolor on Japanese and Chinese papers. Although many of my landscapes are inspired by actual places, few are intended as  depictions of specific scenes. I frequently make use of ambiguous space and unnatural coloring.  My main approach to color is for its expressive means, generally as a contrast between warm and cool colors, and dark and light tones."
 

"I seem to have adopted the world citizen approach to artistic expression, finding inspiration from artists everywhere in the world, past and present. My influences include  the Chinese painters Shitao (1641-1710) and Huang Binhong (1865-1955);  and 20th Century Japanese printmakers Shiko Munakata and Naoko Matsubara.  Major Western influences include Cezanne, Chagall, and Matisse for their vitality and color."