Jared Sanders travels the deserts, farms and mountains of the American West, celebrating the beauty of the commonplace in his paintings. His region is broader than that of the 20th-century regionalists but embodies the intimate familiarity with the landscape seen in their art.
Overland, oil on canvas, 57 x 35”
Throughout American art history, artists have chosen to depict the landscape they are most familiar with—Grant Wood in rural Iowa and Andrew Wyeth in the Brandywine Valley and the coast of Maine, for example. Wood wrote, “I had to go to France to appreciate Iowa…I came back because I learned that French painting is very fine for French people and not necessarily for us, and because I started to analyze what I really knew. I found out. It’s Iowa.” Wyeth wrote, “Most artists look for something fresh to paint; frankly I find that quite boring. For me it is much more exciting to find fresh meaning in something familiar.”
On Painted Ground, oil on canvas, 36 x 84”
Sanders’ paintings of the familiar will be shown in the exhibition Painted Ground at Altamira Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 30 through February 10. An artist reception will be held on February 1, from 7 to 9 p.m. with the artist in attendance.
Commenting on his painting On Painted Ground, Sanders explains, “I’m constantly amazed at the fact that the exposed earth of the Southwest is so red as if someone painted it, and everything clings to this painted ground for survival.”
The painting depicts a white, rectilinear trailer contrasting with the natural forms of the landscape. Its windows reflect the landscape and create the illusion of the structure being part of it. Sanders remarks, “I think there is a certain beauty that is created by the contrast between the manufactured home and the Southwestern landscape in particular. To me, the long horizontal shape sitting low on the ground harmonizes very well with the towering rocks in the background.” The painting is an enveloping 7 feet long.
Earth Works, oil on canvas, 59 x 59”
In Earth Works, at nearly 5 feet square, he places the horizon line characteristically low, commenting, “Most of my work is often said to be very calming and serene, but the landscape of the Southwest is very chaotic. By placing the horizon very low on the canvas I believe it gives the scene a very calming feeling. In addition to that, as an artist, I’m always trying to look at things a bit differently than anyone else. I would like to give the viewer something new or unique.” —
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