I paint everywhere, but I have a special love for the Ozark and Ouachita mountains of my native Arkansas. Seeking the right place to showcase is a joy in itself for me.
One of the other places I find inspiration is the American Southwest. I have taken many trips and hundreds of photographs there—and I will leave in a New York minute to go back.
There are so many breathtaking places in this world. I can be awe-struck by what I am witnessing and go around a curve only to see something evern more wonderful. It is unbelievable.
I want my landscapes to capture the magic of light dancing off trees and clouds, to have depth in them so you feel you could walk right in.
Often, I try to imagine what it looked like a hundred years ago, before too much civilization crowded in, I imagine men on horseback riding down a draw or animal trail, or Native Americans following buffalo or gathered around a campfire overlooking a valley. I can almost hear them … it is surreal.
—Ann Presley