Jeff Ripple

l am dedicated to a poetic realism in landscape painting. For me, this is accurately describing a scene in paint while infusing the painting with my emotional response to the light and atmosphere on that landscape. Such a painting may not be of a precise location or moment in time, but it is always believable, true to place, and like a poem, conveys an emotional connection to what I have seen or imagined. I focus on creating quick drawings and "painted sketches" outside in nature, and I shoot video and still photographs for details. Studio paintings evolve from graphite composition/value sketches and my outdoor work. Studio work is generaJly contemplative, with carefully rendered underpaintings and layers of glazing to achieve a luminous mood and atmosphere.

I am dedicated to a poetic realism in landscape painting. For me, that is the artistic combining of an accurate depiction of a scene infused by my emotional response to the light and atmosphere on that landscape. Such a painting may or may not be of a precise location or moment in time, but it is always believable and true to place. My oil paintings in the field and studio are inspired by intriguing compositions, mood and atmosphere in the landscape. My style involves carefully planned drawings, a reliance on sketches and studies painted in nature to inform studio work, and a treatment of light and atmosphere reminiscent of 19th Century artists working in the uniquely American Hudson River School and Luminist traditions. Paintings range in size from 5x7 inches to 38 more than 5 feet in width.

I am intrigued by the play of light on the natural landscape. I constantly search for shifting light and its transforming influence on textures, shadows, and colors in the environment. I choose to photograph when I sense there may be a moment when the light will reveal the spirit of the landscape. My purpose is to interpret and express that moment on film. My primary camera is a Wisner 4x5 wooden field camera mounted on a sturdy tripod. My philosophy for using large-format transparency film in my color work is to pour all of my artistic energy and interpretation of the landscape into the creation of the original transparency. During the exposure, which may last from several seconds to as long as a minute, I bring together the dynamic elements of a powerful composition, shifting light, varied textures, the sometimes unpredictable effects of long film exposures, an the inherent spirit in the landscape that inspired me to make the photograph in the first place. I then process the film normally and use burning, dodging, black and white high-contrast masks, and other traditional printing techniques digitally to produce a Lightjet print on new, long-lasting Chromagenic (color chemical) photographic papers (60+ years). The large original sheet of film enables me to make large photographs up to 48x96 with exquisite detail. My intention in printing is to convey truthfully and compassionately my impressions and emotions from the scene as exposed on the sheet of film. My photographs are limited to editions of 250 or fewer prints.

I am intrigued by the play of light on the natural landscape. I constantly search for shifting light and its transforming influence on textures, shadows, and colors in the environment. I choose to photograph when I sense there may be a moment when the light will reveal the spirit of the landscape. My purpose is to interpret and express that moment on film. My primary camera is a Wisner 4x5 wooden field camera mounted on a sturdy tripod. My philosophy for using large-format transparency film in my color work is to pour all of my artistic energy and interpretation of the landscape into the creation of the original transparency. During the exposure, which may last from several seconds to as long as a minute, I bring together the dynamic elements of a powerful composition, shifting light, varied textures, the sometimes unpredictable effects of long film exposures, an the inherent spirit in the landscape that inspired me to make the photograph in the first place. I then process the film normally and use burning, dodging, black and white high-contrast masks, and other traditional printing techniques digitally to produce a Lightjet print on new, long-lasting Chromagenic (color chemical) photographic papers (60+ years). The large original sheet of film enables me to make large photographs up to 48x96 with exquisite detail. My intention in printing is to convey truthfully and compassionately my impressions and emotions from the scene as exposed on the sheet of film. My photographs are limited to editions of 250 or fewer prints.