About

I create contemporary oil and watercolour landscapes that balance realism with abstraction. My goal is to evoke an emotional response, inviting viewers to recall their own memories. Rather than simply depicting landscapes, I invite viewers to step inside—to feel the air, sense the light, and experience the quiet presence of nature as if they are truly there.

By simplifying shapes, softening edges, and layering colour, I build abstracted scenes that suggest both the complexity and tranquility of the natural world. Inspired by the vastness of Nova Scotia’s sky, sea, and rugged coastline, my work emphasizes harmony and calm, encouraging slow observation and quiet contemplation.

My method is to think about what I love about any given landscape and then decide how to portray that in paint. I consider the combination of composition, colour, values and paint application that will help to reach the objective. Once all the thinking and initial planning is done, the fun and intuitive part begins. To start, I generally treat the surface with a mid-tone of colour and complete a monochromatic under-painting. I then add and subtract colour with abandon using a variety of tools including brushes, cheesecloth, squeegees, fingers, scrapers and palette knives. The final stage is to sit back and listen to the painting as it tells me what it needs.

My work is currently on view at

If you have comments or questions, or wish to purchase a painting, please reach out to me at mkersellart@gmail.com.