Robert's 50 Cents

Land Ho! has so many magnificent creations in its exhibit that can grab your eye from across the room, and instantly bring you closer. The very first painting

– Deciduous City, by Sandy Litchfield – immediately caught my attention. This painting, to me, shows how the landscape has changed over the years. The image depicts a city growing in the same spot as a forest. It almost looks as if there's a battle for the land between the forest and the city. There is so much going on in this “battle” that you don't know where to look first.

Litchfield created a painting that tells a story of how the city started taking over the forest, creating completely different scenery. This narrative is something everyone can relate to because it is happening all over the world. Deforestation is something that is occurring every day and this image embodies that story to a T. This particular painting has a heavy weight to it because the artist was able to capture this story in a beautiful, yet depressing way. It really makes the audience think about what is going on in the world around them.

One particular thing I loved about this creation is its color scheme. I love the way the painting has the trees and buildings painted over each other with the same colors, blending them into one another. You can’t tell if the trees or the buildings are in front. The way the trees and city are painted with the same color palette makes the viewer wonder which really belongs there – the trees, or the city. Also from the perspective that Sandy Litchfield painted it, it feels like they are towering up and over you. It is as if you are part of the image, and everything in it is much larger than yourself, even though this is not the case.

This creation really makes the viewers stop and look into what is truly going on. This is one of the strongest paintings in my opinion because it has such an important story and makes the viewers think outside of the box. Land Ho! displaying this particular piece of artwork helped make the exhibit more interactive because of the conversations it can start. It is also the very first painting you see when you go to the show starting the exhibit off with a bang!