Douglas Wirls, Forest Edge III

"My work, for the most part, is about the creation of imagined environments . . . For many years woods and fields have been my inspiration . . . I seldom work directly from the subject but more often use these conditions as invitations to places of invention.- Douglas Wirls

In this work, tonal gradations, rich charcoal markings, and lyrical lines weave in and out of an imagined space at the edge of a forest. Like his contemporaries Stuart Shils and Al Gury, Douglas Wirls is interested in creating a sense of place based on his personal impressions of color, light, and space. These artists share an abstract sensibility and dedication to capturing emotive essences of specific locations.

Wirls was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and studied at Temple University's Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. He lives and works in New York City, where he is a professor at the Pratt Institute and the Catskill Mountains. His wife is the painter Iona Fromboluti.