Karen Lynn Link Fine Art

Many of my paintings begin with a specific place, but they do not always remain tied to that place.

Looking Beyond was inspired by a hillside south of Standley Lake Reservoir. During my time there, I made sketches and notes about the landscape, paying particular attention to the relationship between the trees, the hillside, and the changing light. When I later returned to those sketches in the studio, I found myself less interested in recreating the location and more interested in exploring the experience of looking through it.

The final painting differs from the original view. The trees were brought closer to the foreground, the hillside was enlarged, and the composition was simplified to emphasize layers of space. Rather than presenting the landscape all at once, the painting asks the viewer to look through the trees before discovering the water and distant hillside beyond.

Color played an equally important role in the development of the piece. Deep plum and blue-violet passages contrast with muted golds and yellow-greens, creating a visual conversation between shadow and light. Those relationships became more important to me than accurately recording the colors I observed on location.

As the painting evolved, the landscape itself became less literal. The goal was not to describe a specific place but to create a sense of depth and quiet contemplation. The foreground trees act as a veil, partially obscuring the view and encouraging the eye to move beyond the immediate surface of the painting.

Many of the works in my Front Range Landscape Series begin this way. A location provides the starting point, but the painting grows through observation, memory, and design. The result is a landscape shaped as much by experience as by geography.

Looking Beyond reflects my interest in how we see. Sometimes the most meaningful parts of a landscape are not the first things that capture our attention. They reveal themselves gradually, inviting us to slow down, look through the layers, and discover what lies beyond.