Landscapes: Interior-Exterior

Sandra Langston & Laurel Daniel

Austin, TX - Langston and Daniel both grew up loving nature. Daniel in her Wisconsin woods, now painting the wild Texas landscapes. Langston, Canadian born but raised in Texas, pairs her past with her present home in Italy. Both artists explore how we inhibit nature and how it influences us as individuals, our ideals and fears. Some works are serene and calming, others look into the mystical sides of our dreams, our fantasies and ourselves. 

Laurel Daniel
Depicting scenes of nature is my first love when it comes to painting. But recently, I have been exploring landscapes as "particular areas of activity" that can be glimpsed in the panoramas of our daily lives. They include the majestic mountaintop vistas and the humble scenery of our homes and our cities. They are not only the destinations of our travel, but also the traveling itself. Looking for "landscapes" in interiors, exteriors and cityscapes involves consideration of the human element and our relationship to our surroundings. It requires the study of man-made forms and integrating new perspectives. It also leads to the thrill of discovery - that landscapes are literally all around us. We can see beauty in the heavens above and on the street corner downtown. We can find truth on the river and at the kitchen table. Each offers a particular view to be captured and remembered.

Sandra Langston 
I came to Basilicata, in southern Italy, over twenty-five years ago to work with the University of Texas excavations at Metaponto. From paleolithic, to Greek, to the present, it is an area that has been constantly occupied. The landscape has been sculpted relentlessly by nature, as well as by generations of hard-working hands. It is hilly, eroding, sometimes stark, but never monotonous. I hope that my landscapes may provide a view of a lesser-traveled area of Italy, and maybe even inspire a visit or two to this very special place.