Why do I feel complete in the big sky places among the strange artifacts of desert civilization? With light soaking both from above and by reflection off the snow, the earth, or a wall, bright gradients for skies create a grand sense of scale. An old telephone pole, a concrete slab, a shack in the distance hint at a story of hope and of melancholy, of humankind’s impact on the landscape and the fading of that impact through time. I think I am drawn to these scenes because they simultaneously make me feel small and yet with some sense of agency.

These are paintings primarily of scenes close to the Reno-Tahoe area. They are predominantly made with acrylic paints and with gloss mediums and varnish that capture the luminosity of the sun-drenched West. I came to the Reno-Tahoe area several years ago and rediscovered my love of landscape painting in this endlessly inspirational part of the world. Some paintings also feature scenes from my home state of Minnesota. I hope some people in this community will find resonance and joy in these paintings.

I grew up in the small town of Buffalo, Minnesota, where as a kid I found myself drawn to big pieces of rural and suburban infrastructure: railroad tracks, dams, bridges. After dabbling in abstract geometric art and street art in high school, ten years ago I took a formal painting class while a student at Deep Springs College, a very small school on a farm and ranch in the eastern Sierra high desert near Bishop. Grappling with the immensity of the mountain and desert landscapes around me, I fell in love with classical painting and with this area, so after living in Minnesota for a time after college, I found myself drawn to Reno. I do most paintings by loose reference to photos I take while exploring the landscape here. Aside from the one semester class and a handful of workshops, I am largely self-taught. I love the creative community of the Reno-Tahoe area and hope to contribute some measure of inspiration to those who encounter the art here.

For information about the exhibit and the artist, please contact the curator, Maria Partridge • maria@sierra-arts.org