Page Piland Artist�s Statement �I see things I think so beautiful that no one will believe a painting of them. So I include the actual thing in the painting as proof.� Paintings and assemblages are the current focus for me. Recent work refers to, and features, �real� items. The subjects are discarded/distressed/abandoned wood, home construction detritus, railroad tie splinters, charred tree remnants, old fence planks, tar paper, shingles, bark, leaves, feathers, flood remnants, etc. The work has the �real� item inset flush with the surface of the canvas adjacent to the faithfully painted �portrait�. This honors the subject item just as a portrait of a person honors that person. I cannot improve �on�, nor will I change, what I see. My ultimate goal is to see, experience, share and feel beauty. And to bring honor and respect to the simple, yet very important, items with which we come into contact with everyday. I used to worry that I was not really doing anything important. Now I have come to believe that bringing beauty forward and into focus IS important, especially now.