ARTICLES

Alison Moritsugu and Her Famous Landscapes Painted on Cut Logs

Amazing sceneries that provide us a look into another planet and function almost like a periscope to its past.

By: THURSD. | 08-09-2022 | 3 min read
Floral Art Remarkable
Alison Moritsugu hand paints art on cut logs header on Thursd

It's beyond incredible to see ways in which art can manifest itself. Whether it be painted on a blank canvas, on top of objects, hand-made, you name it, art is simply amazing beyond words. It's now time to meet the timeless paintings of landscapes on cut logs by Alison Moritsugu.

Meet Alison Moritsugu and Her Eccentric Landscapes Paintings

Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

 

Alison Moritsugu's art

 

The effect and live power that Alison Moritsugu has painted on cut logs are beyond anything we've seen. It looks just like magic realism, too good to be true. It is as if you could insert your hand and feel the landscapes she paints.

 

Alison Moritsugu's art

 

Landscapes by Alison Moritsugu Are Created in the Realm of Depth

When creating each of her unique landscape paintings on cut logs, the first artistic component Alison Moritsugu thinks about is how to create adequate depth to make it look as real as possible. But hold on, there's a whole lot of history behind each painting and you're about to jump onto a short historical class with Alison Moritsugu.

 

Hand painted landscapes art by Alison Moritsugu showcasing an incredible log collection

 

Paintings by Alison Moritsugu Inspired by European Settlers in the 18th and 19th Century

The idea of Manifest Destiny was widely held when European settlers began arriving in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries and swiftly expanding their area. In particular, American colonists were destined to spread throughout the continent by all methods necessary, regardless of the expense, the effects on the environment, or the terrible devastation to Native American people.

 

Hand painted landscapes art by Alison Moritsugu showcasing an incredible log collection

 

The paintings of the time, which were mainly expansive landscapes influenced by the European pastoral tradition, did a good job of capturing the pristine beauty of the previously unexplored continent but utterly ignored the reality of what was actually happening.

 

Real life looking landscapes paintings by Alison Moritsugu

 

The Remains of Downed Trees Are Beautifully Painted on Timbered Logs

Artist Alison Moritsugu confronts that odd contradiction head-on in her log paintings by using a literal metaphor as the canvas for her idyllic oil paintings of the countryside where that particular tree may have previously grown. The result? A wonderful fusion of environmental consciousness and art history.

 

Alison Moritsugu landscapes paintings collection

 

The rough edges of the cut branches and trunks appear like windows into the past, telling a story that the tree’s rings alone cannot. She shares via her artist statement:

"By exploring idealized views of nature, my work acknowledges our more complex and precarious relationship with the environment."

Salvaged Logs Are Used for Alison Moritsugu’s Paintings

It should be emphasized that Moritsugu uses log pieces that would normally be mulched, such as naturally fallen trees. At Littlejohn Contemporary in New York, a selection of fresh artwork will be on display beginning on November 12.

 

Real life simulation of landscapes by Alison Moritsugu

 

If you're curious to see more about how she brings landscapes to painted realities, make sure to check out Alison Moritsugu's work.

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