Jeffrey Cannon

What makes certain places special? Why do we feel good in Nature? How does Light define a sense of place? How does Nature continue to enchant, excite, calm, heal, and transform us all? I observe, photograph, draw, and dream to anchor the feelings that guide my process. Working from memory after making sketches from my own photos, I cultivate the feeling of being there, which refines and clarifies the essence of what makes those certain places special and personally meaningful. I use a large palette of soft pastels, often handmade, on archival board. I blend with my fingers and use the edge of the pastel for detail. I don’t use fixatives, brushes, pastel pencils, blending tools, or liquids in order to ensure the careful preservation of delicate details and color harmonies. Each original pastel painting is then carefully framed using custom hardwood frames handcrafted with wood-spline corners, a new type of scratch-resistant museum glass, and 8-ply archival mats. Pastels are made with pure pigment, pure color, which accounts for their richness and brilliance. These fine pigments, without the liquid binders found in oil paints, will not fade, yellow, or crack over time. Since the 16th century, museums have collected pastel works that remain as vibrant today as the day they were created. These original pastel paintings reflect an awareness that as our connection with Nature grows and deepens, so do those familiar feelings we cherish in our hearts, the feelings that form our favorite memories, the feelings that guide us towards the center of our lives, a place we all call home.