Mark Botzum

The St. Joe River meanders throughout the community in which I live. On numerous occasions, I have happened upon many wonderful locations to set up my easel. I think the main theme that runs throughout all of my works would be simplicity. I want to allow the viewer the opportunity to personalize their experience with a piece of my art.

I started painting about 10 years ago, when my daughter, Valerie was born. I generally, paint landscapes, seascapes, nudes and occasionally a still life. My mediums of choice are oils and pastels. I love to paint on site or from images in my head . In fact, I often travel with my easel and art bucket. I believe it is important that I be able to capture and express the emotion and energy that I receive from a beautiful setting in nature. It is my responsibility as an artist to interpret the scene and communicate it's essence and not merely create a photographic image.

I use a very limited palette, usually one, but definitely no more than two colors, representing each of the primary colors, plus black and white. I feel that by painting with a limited palette it constantly challenges me to think about the color composition as well as color harmony. I truly hope that my artwork will provide viewers, many pensive moments of perhaps a childhood memory or a place once visited. I love to paint!