Sunrise Over Maui Painting

I endeavor to capture people and places as they are at the moment. I strive to portray the emotions and concerns that traverse all cultures, societies and races. I am fascinated by the ethnic and cultural differences while embracing the universality that connects all of mankind despite the differences. I try to express more than a physical likeness. Whether it is a mood passing over a face, or an atmospheric change that settles over a landscape, there is an aura that is radiated. This aura is as much a part of the person or place as their outright appearance. It is this totality of persona that I strive to preserve in my figurative and scenic works. I‘m compelled to paint, to try to understand the way light falls on a person or object & depict it. I enjoy working in series since it sparks my imagination as explore the different ways to depict my interests. Two of the series that I am currently working on include “Faces of the World” and “Urban Gritty”. I wish to express the mood or fleeting emotion of a scene in such a way that the viewer can experience the feeling that captured me and caused me to put pencil and pastel to paper and brush to canvas. I hope you enjoy viewing the works again and again as much as I enjoyed creating them for you. Laurie Harden