A Grand Design

Collector's Focus Painting the National Parks

By John O’Hern

Yellowstone was named the nation’s first national park primarily because of a painting. Thomas Moran and photographer, William Henry Jackson, accompanied Ferdinand V. Hayden’s geological expedition to Yellowstone in 1871. Hayden’s political skills, Moran’s paintings and Jackson’s photographs convinced Congress to establish the park in 1872. Today, the National Park System comprises more than 400 areas covering more than 84 million acres.Illume Gallery of Fine Art, Incoming Rain, Glacier, oil on linen on panel, 8 x 10", by Linda Glover Gooch

Anne Jespersen Fine Arts, First Light, Nagunt Mesa, Kolob, oil on Masonite, 12 x 12", by Hadley Anne Rampton.

Tiny parks and vast areas continue to inspire artists and photographers and serve as a “pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people” as the act of Congress directed.

The wilderness areas of Kolob Canyons are part of Zion National Park in Utah. Utah native Hadley Rampton paints en plein air, expressing the energy of landscape with palette knife and thickly applied paint that, from a distance, represent what she sees and, close up, capture the method of their creation. She says, “Some tell me I’m crazy for painting in the mountains in the dead of winter, or for battling swarms of biting flies in summer. And yet, there I stand for hours, working, feeling there is nowhere else I would rather be. I’m energized by the challenges and beauty of nature, by the dynamics of light, atmosphere and temperature in the Rocky Mountains and in the deserts of the Southwest. The changes in weather that occur while I’m painting do not bother but thrill me. A storm welling on the horizon, gaining momentum and catching me in its fury fills me with exhilaration. Even the same location can time and again leave me with a sense of awe.”Dan Knepper, Wyoming Morning, oil, 36 x 36"

Kimball Geisler, Kolob Canyon, Waking Up, oil, 30 x 50." Private Collection. Courtesy the Artist.

First Light, Nagunt Mesa, Kolob, is a small painting at 12 inches square, but contains the drama of the scene and the artist’s joy in painting it. She says “I love the drama of light and shadow when the sun meets these spectacular cliffs. Always thrilling.”

Kimball Geisler approaches the park earlier in the morning in Kolub Canyon, Waking Up. As the sun penetrates the valley, it burns off the mist and hints at the dry heat of later in the day. He leads the eye by steps through light and shadow to the sun-washed peak. After graduating from college, he says, “I experimented with plein air painting and found that the more time I spent outdoors, the more I wanted landscape to be a part of my life. I made a decision to devote my career to the study of nature through painting…. Spending time out in nature is a necessity for me, both as an artist and as a human being.Dan Knepper, Bison Tracks and Steam, oil, 30 x 40"

Dan Knepper, Jordan’s Creek, oil, 24 x 36"

I think John Muir said it best when writing about the Sierra Nevada Mountain passes, ‘They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action. Even the sick should try these so-called dangerous passes, because for every unfortunate they kill, they cure a thousand.’”

Linda Glover Gooch says, “I want to bring a quiet peace to people. I hope viewers will receive something more than the visual.” Gooch lives in the dry desert of Arizona and is very much aware of the life-giving and healing aspects of water. Her series of paintings of the waterfalls of Glacier National Park envelop the viewer not only in the vastness of the landscape but in its lush greenery, flowing water and rainstorms that refresh it all. “Typically,” she says, “I paint best when I know a place well.
I feel at home in the canyons…”

Like Rampton and Geisler, she revels in the qualities of paint. Both impressionistic and realistic in her representation, she creates works rich in texture.

Continue reading to enjoy additional words of passion and insight from artists who are continually inspired by the grandeur of national parks. Dawn Sutherland, A Single Step, oil, 36 x 30"

Dawn Sutherland first visited the Grand Canyon 25 years ago, long before her dreaming of a life of painting. “A life-changing journey so often begins with a single step,” says Sutherland. “From the trail just beneath one’s feet, to the expansive view beyond, this scene [in painting A Single Step] suggests the limitless adventure awaiting one who feels the call to take that single step into the beautiful unknown. The three-mile rest house is a welcome oasis for hikers, whether one is hiking up or down the Bright Angel Trail. It becomes a metaphor for that place in life when one can rest and ponder the journey that lies ahead or appreciate the accomplishment of having come so far.” After miles of hiking and floating through the Canyon’s heart, Sutherland has the privilege of representing this beautiful place in the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, where A Single Step will be available in this year’s event.

“We arrived at this amazing spot in the golden light at the end of a perfect day,” says Dan Knepper of his piece Jordan’s Creek, “and had the Yellowstone wilderness all to ourselves. It’s at this point where we decided to head back and traveled hours and hours through the dark park hoping to avoid running into bison, bear and elk. Bison Tracks and Steam is a color field/realism crossover of the amazing Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone. “Bison walk along the edge seeking warmth in the Wyoming winters,” Knepper explains. “The colors are that intense in real life and it’s not to be missed.” The painting is part of the America the Beautiful show at Mary Williams Fine Art.Mountain Trails Gallery, Lake Solitude, oil, 36 x 36", by Lanny Grant.

Darcie Peet, Dawn Tiptoeing In – Monument Valley, oil, 18 x 24"

In Wyoming Morning, Knepper says, “We’d pass this quiet spot each morning as we left our cabin to head to the Tetons or Yellowstone.” The oil painting is currently hanging in the C.M. Russell Museum and will be in their live auction in August.

Following a surgery related to a cycling accident, Darcie Peet’s husband could only carefully walk for weeks, so the couple decided on an impromptu New Year’s trip to Monument Valley for inspiration and to boost his spirits. “What a fascinating time of year there,” Peet recalls. “The myriad colors of snow in light and shadow contrasting beautifully against the red rock monuments made up for the frigid temperatures. After a Navajo guide took us down into the valley for a long journey…we ventured along the same route the next day starting before dawn to take in the changing, early morning light. We watched shadows, ever so slowly creep, tiptoe and recede, in all kinds of patterns as the sun gradually rose higher.” Peet’s piece Dawn Tiptoeing In, inspired by this visit, can be found at Settlers West Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. —