Lyse Dzija Studio

I was born in Quebec, Canada and was raised in New England and later studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Art has always been a vital part of my life and I moved to Colorado 30 years ago to be closer to the wilderness of the West.
My paintings are a result of plein air studies, my lousy photo references, and primarily observation and memory. They are a response to the beauty out here and have become a point of departure to express the heartfelt emotion that I can only articulate in painting. Typically pristine or idyllic landscapes become more intense, taking on a transcendent reality. Pushing color and “humanizing” features is an effective way to come close to this. I challenge the popular movement to minimalize. The greatest respect I can show Nature is through an elaborate personal style because it is the result of my felt experience.
Having cared for patients over 40 years, I am captured by the strength and delicacy reflected in Nature. Nature reminds me that its beauty can be fleeting—the blink of an eye, and it’s gone if we don’t pause from daily activities. Beauty is universal and apolitical.
My work invites you to become connected and feel your own response.