- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every now and then, there is a moment of transcendence, a kind of transparency when we are able to see something of what Emerson suggests. Every painting starts with an idea. This idea is suggested by something in the landscape, the point of inspiration, a moment of transcendence. It is this visual idea that inspires the painting and everything I do is in service of that idea. Emily Dickinson said “Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it”. My job is to not break the spell, to hang on for as long as I can. If I am successful, then the expressive quality of the painting will cast the spell once again, but this time on the viewer.

- Deborah Paris