My 4-year-old daughter recently sat before one of my paintings and said, "Mom, it's sort of made up of all different shapes," and I said, "Exactly! Shapes and color." When I sit by the water, I feel the vastness of the space around me; I hear the birds and feel the wind, and watch the water and trees move in their peaceful elegance. It's my favorite place to be. When I return to the studio, all of those elements are gone, and I'm left with a small photograph on a computer screen and a bunch of tubes of acrylic paint. But through working with the tape and paint, I find a new way back to the memory of that place—to the movement, the sounds, and the feelings, depicted through simple shapes and color. I don't strive to depict nature accurately. Still, I hope my work evokes a memory or hint of those natural elements and invites the eye to bounce between shapes and colors, allowing the viewer to experience the scenery in a new, playful way.

Greta Van Campen

By the Water, 2026