James Rose

Water is the most fascinating element to me. It is the unknown and the spirit behind all life. It sustains us and it is beautiful. I find water in my paintings more and more. I recall an interview with a Native American elder, describing how his culture believes there is a great source of water under our Earth, that we were born from it, and in the next age it will rise up and consume us and we will become one with it again. Our connection to water is undeniable. Water heals and refreshes. When I enter the water everything in my consciousness changes. For years I painted people moving through the subway system, and in a way that is like painting a river. If I paint a forest, it is also filled with trees, who are also drinking millions of gallons of water.