James Tipton

“Great art picks up where nature ends.”—Marc Chagall

My work explores my response to time spent walking through the woods and forest preserves of DuPage County, Illinois. A Native American, my work is rooted in my rich memories of visiting the Cherokee farmlands of my family in Oklahoma as a child, and my artistic journey stretches far back and is a reflection on the land and my ongoing expression of it.

Inspired by local beauty and sense of natural space, I create paintings that capture the attempt to recall these cherished places and step back into them. Through both en plein air studies and studio-based works, my paintings invite viewers to experience the transformative stillness of nearby familiar fields, woods, rivers, and forest preserves. (Nearby for me means the West Branch Forest Preserve, which I walk or bike through nearly every day.)

My paintings offer a visual meditation on the interconnectedness of sense of place and nature. My work seeks to foster a deeper appreciation for the natural world and inspire a sense of stewardship for the environment.

I also digitally rework my paintings to create something new. The process begins with images of my work, which I then bring into software such as Blender. Through this ...

University of Chicago