Practitioner’s Statement “Land of Hope” Ryan Gerschwitz By collecting my own thoughts and investigations I was able to create my artwork through my own images and ideas. I was also able to draw inspiration from many artists and my own personal experiences from living near parks my whole life. With the idea of using personal experiences it enabled me to come up with the title ‘Land of Hope’ as landscapes are often seen as thoughtful and controlled artworks. Landscapes can be deep and rich with ideas, allowing the viewer to create their own story. I have been influenced by the unique style of the Impasto painting techniques used by artists such as Nicholas Harding, Ben Quilty and Claude Monet. These 3 artists helped me find an artistic side I thought I didn’t have and helped me create something I never thought I was capable of. Throughout the first semester I found myself re‐creating landscapes with different mediums (pastels, acrylic, watercolour and oils) that feature in my folio. However over time I was able to transition from these media investigations to selecting to create an oil on canvas. This transition over time helped me control what I was doing and do it to the best of my ability. As Nicholas Harding was the main artist I was exploring, I researched his techniques and painting styles to inspire me to translate these ideas into my work. As I was researching this topic I came up with the idea of exploring the wealth of Adelaide’s parks within the city. I took photos of parks and roads, which eventually I experimented with in my folio and final piece. The lush variety of nature around the Adelaide city centre gave me good subject matter to use for my own artwork. I was able to draw comparisons to Harding as he also took his own photographs for his landscape artworks. With one of my photographs, I was able to draw the image onto the canvas to get the dimensions of the trees, grass, paths and sky accurate. By doing this I could then use the Impasto painting technique to emulate the heavy texture across the canvas to replicate the style of Harding and Quilty. By studying these two artists further I learnt to look at different ways to regard my chosen medium and subject matter. Oil Paints, one of the thicker types of paint, proved to be the right medium to use for my landscape painting. The buttery texture that engulfs the canvas serves as the catalyst for me creating this final piece; without it the painting would not have been as three‐dimensional. I believe that my artwork is harmonious but rugged as its texture and variety of colours, invites the viewer into the painting. With this intention in mind I believe I was able to represent this and create a landscape artwork that I love and cherish.