An exhibit of oil landscapes featuring small paintings done in the field and a selection of larger studio pieces based on some of those field studies.

Valerie’s art begins outdoors – squinting up at cliffs and painting the light spilling over them while she hears the wind in the canyon and the song of the canyon wren. Or freezing her fingers off while trying to paint the light reflecting off snowy shadows. But for practical reasons, those outdoor paintings are fairly small. They document what she sees and allow her to bring it back to the studio. There, in the studio, some of those field studies become material for studio paintings — founded in outdoor reality, but painted inside where the wind doesn’t blow and her fingers don’t freeze. The extended timeframe for work and the shelter of the studio allow her to take the best of her fieldwork and convert it into larger more polished art. Sometimes she brings the outdoors alive in a large painting. Sometimes she likes the smaller pieces better because of their energy and immediacy. Showing them together gives the viewer insight into the creative process and the strengths of both plein air and studio work.

This project is supported by Utah Arts and Museums, with funding from the State of Utah and the National Endowment for the Arts .

: Support for this event provided by The National Endowment for the Arts