Jeff Cochran's meditations on the natural world are arranged in such a way as to heighten its mystery. Landscapes recede into the distance and distinct objects come to the foreground in a carefully orchestrated collage of form and content.
Cochran lives and works in the serene environs of Taos, New Mexico. He concentrates on looking at nature, especially the trees that punctuate the landscape and frame the sweeping vistas below the mountains.
A cyclist in his spare time, he has spent days on cross country trips, solidifying a strong connection with nature and a deep meditative solitude witnessed in his current series of paintings.
"I take a lot of photographs on these trips, and I use bits and pieces of them as inspiration for my landscape paintings. There is a peaceful Zen-like quality to my paintings. They look like places where you could go and sit and think."
Cochran's lush, illuminated landscapes offer an escape from the accelerated pace of contemporary life.
"I try to provide the viewer with the opposite of television. Instead of predictable plots, statistics, and information, I try to convey a sense of mystery and slow organic growth."
The forms in his paintings "unfold themselves and represent imperceptibly slow motion which lets the viewer know they will be around for a long time to come, creating a meditative atmosphere and also a sense of stability."
