The
Inspiration
Most landscape photography leans on spectacle, color, and the easy win of a perfect sunset. Joshua is drawn to the opposite: weather that reduces the world, fog that collapses distance, stormlight that flattens the obvious, winter shade that turns scenery into tone.
Many of these photographs come from places people name for their grandeur, Iceland, Alaska, the Sawtooths and Sierra Nevada. In his birch editions, each location is a whisper in the overall story. What matters most is the condition: the right quiet, the right kind of restraint that elevates interior spaces with the wonder and majesty of the outdoors. Each piece earns its place by how it holds calm and depth. The result is atmosphere you can live with, depth without dominance, presence without noise.
“Tiny briars cloaked by charming blooms. The tops of evergreens teasing an elusive path in the distance. The deafening silence … until a break in the clouds invites wind indistinguishable from white noise. Feelings of uncertainty seduced by tranquility. For the first time in years, I’ve created work that feels true to myself. My hope is that it resonates with viewers in ways that are unique to them and their own journey, a gentle reminder that some of life’s most beautiful discoveries are made through moments of discomfort and difficulty.”
The Process
From portraiture and figure drawing to architectural renderings, Linsey has always enjoyed working with charcoals. However, in her renewed art practice, she’s using them in a much more playful way with more focus on the process itself — an act of rebellion against her own perfectionism.
Charcoal and soft pastels are messy, slightly unpredictable, and constantly move, especially across wood grain that dictates how and where the medium eventually settles. The unfinished birch panels are soft and vulnerable to occasional scratches from compressed chalks.
Taking cues from the grain pattern, Linsey starts each piece by applying several fine layers of ground charcoal and pastels to the unfinished birch panel with a brush, blending as needed by hand or felt cloth. Using assorted soft pastels and charcoals—some made at home from collected twigs—a series of gestural marks dance their way in, settling into each previous layer to produce a soft, supple haze.
“There are moments where I allow my eyes to lose focus and find rest, the composition in front of me momentarily blurred despite my hand still in motion. I never imagined how cathartic surrendering to the materials could be. Some of my favorite details are created during those moments of complete reverie.”
While many works involve building layers upon layers to create depth, others take a reverse approach, using a kneaded eraser to draw in details and further shape the composition through subtraction.
Multiple layers of fixative secure the marks and pigments. Cradled panels not framed behind glass receive an archival cold wax carefully applied by hand to seal the artwork in a satin finish. Frame pieces are cut to length at home, then brought into the studio where Linsey thoughtfully selects pieces that look best together and with each specific artwork. A 1/2” proud of the art surface, her frames are designed to provide an additional protection.
Nearly every part of a finished work is handmade. Blemishes and imperfections are very much a part of her process and add another layer of authenticity to each one-of-a-kind piece.
