The evolution of my painting has been based in landscape. I never thought of my work as having a style. It did evolve however. My early painting was abstract, influenced by Mondrian and then next, and importantly, by Cézanne. In the 1950’s, I used a low-key palette to try to simplify things – yellow ocher, red earth, black. Later, in the 60’s, I decided to go to primary colors and things began to open up, the paintings became larger. But my idea was always tied to the illusion of space and to nature – so, in one sense, I was never abstract.

In the earlier years, I worked directly, on site, in watercolor and drawing. Watercolor always came naturally to me. I would do a series of drawings at a site, somewhere out of the studio, then I would take those drawings into the studio to paint, in oil. The oils were painted indirectly, in the studio, based on the drawings or watercolors.

This all changed somewhat suddenly after my second trip to Mexico in 1970. On returning from Guanajuato, I walked into my studio at home and thought, “What am I doing? Why not just look out the window here, and paint what I see?” This seemed revolutionary to me. And that is what I have done since then – I am learning to see. It’s exhilarating.

Transcribed from various talks and interviews by Wilbur Niewald

Janet Niewald