"I used to be hurt...until I gave up trying to understand people and concentrated on my love and understanding of landscapes. Then it didn't make any difference."
Fern I. Coppedge (1883-1951), American Impressionist Painter

Artist Statement

     "I place myself in a long tradition of representational painters who have been inspired by the natural world around us. My painting style is grounded in late 19th century methodology, mainly Impressionism.
     When I am not painting I am thinking about painting. There is no escape from it. I study the light on someone's face and try not to appear rude. The cast shadow of a tree distracts my attention at a traffic light. I trip on the sidewalk while gazing at cloud formations. When I see through my painter's eyes I do not see ugliness or the problems of the world. I only see forms for the light to drape itself upon, and my eye is bombarded by millions of colors  in constant vibration of warm and cool tones.
     I find in the landscape a spirituality and truth which I have never found in religion, churches, or human relationships. I consider the events in my life mainly as interruptions to painting. Painting has been a constant refuge from loss and transformation, and my way of coming to terms with my place in the world."