Artist Statement:
Tim Haglund
To actually come to know the land you exist within, sit in an unconventional place and be surrounded by nature for a period of time. Go beyond viewing the beauty of a sunset and be enveloped in the landscape taking in the nuances revealed to you. Sit and watch as a painter would.
I work at night outdoors directly in nature experiencing all of the elements. I strive to capture the world of nature at night, a mysterious, unique, and magical time. I have discovered that being outdoors at night increases awareness of surroundings and tests emotions. The night is dramatic, senses are heightened, sounds are mysterious and sometimes scary, temperature changes become more distinct, and one’s presence in the landscape feels noticeably alone. One becomes more still and more aware of their position in space and backside in the dark of the night. In my nightscape paintings, I try to capture those heightened senses that can overwhelm a participant in the night world. The time, the mood, that stillness is alive in the subtleties of these painted nightscapes.
My painting technique is to allow the properties of paint, its fluidity, transparency and opacity to create the imagery and emotion of the moment. My goal is to transcribe the mood of the landscape that I am experiencing rather than rendering a visual copy of the landscape through detail and draftsmanship. I strive to provide the viewer a way into magical experiences of the night.