What stories do you want to tell?

"Did you think that landscapes were merely dull pictures of trees or mountains? Och! I say a good landscape tells a story. Landscape artists are storytellers! We show Americans what wondrous lands lay to the West! We tell tales of exploration and discovery! Imagine for a moment what it was like to stand at Niagara Falls for the first time!

"Every artist has his own point of view, of course. I could sit right alongside a famous artist such as Mr. Cole or Mr. Bierstadt, painting the same landscape, but our canvases would tell very different stories! Let me show you what I mean.

"What's the story that Mr. George Innes is telling in this painting of Lackawanna Valley in Pennsylvania? What message does he convey with his landscape? How does he view man's relationship with Nature?"

Nature provides unlimited bounty for mankind.
Civilization and technology threaten Nature.
Mankind can live prosperously in harmony with Nature.
Nature is dangerous and evil lurks in the wilderness.