Known for his use of the palette knife to paint vibrantly colored landscape scenes, artist Brad Teare prepares a new collection of work for his upcoming solo show Painted Earth: The Impasto West,hosted at Legacy Gallery’s Santa Fe, New Mexico, location. “Each piece captures not just the scenery, but the spirit of the West, offering a tactile connection to its windswept mesas, towering peaks and endless horizons,” says Cyndi Hall, gallery manager.
Echoing Light, oil, 40 x 40 in.
Teare originally saw this show as an opportunity to deepen his exploration of impasto painting, “especially the interplay of light, form and texture in the American West,” he says. “This body of work reflects a more distilled, confident use of impasto, with color and gesture driven more by emotion than detail.”
Many of Teare’s new pieces began as plein air studies from recent trips through Utah, Colorado and Northern New Mexico—landscapes that resonate deeply with the artist. “The central thread—expressive landscapes rooted in place—remains strong,” Teare notes, “But this show also explores the materiality of paint itself. The title Painted Earth: The Impasto West,reflects how the terrain becomes part of the surface: carved, layered, sculpted. These works aren’t about literal representation, but how the energy of the West is embedded in thick strokes of color and light.”
Desert Cathedral, oil, 30 x 30 in.
One such example found in the show is the striking Canyon Rim Light, painted from Moran Point in the Grand Canyon. “This piece captures afternoon light skimming the cliffs,” explains Teare. “It explores the tension between permanence and transience—how vast stone can seem both eternal and ephemeral under golden light. Most passages were painted in a single pass to preserve spontaneity and chromatic vibration.”
Additional canyon imagery includes the likes of Desert Moon and Desert Cathedral—created first as a study of a sandstone outcropping in Taos County, New Mexico. “Its forms evoked flying buttresses and vaulted roofs, hence the title,” says the artist. “It reflects sacredness in ordinary landforms. I emphasized color and contrast to give the structure visual and spiritual weight.”
Canyon Rim Light, oil, 24 x 36 in.
Another highlight from the show is Autumn Cascade, based on a sketch from Kebler Pass in Colorado’s West Elk Mountains. “This painting centers on rhythmic verticals—aspens dissolving into cascades of rock and water,” says Teare. “The layered impasto mimics both falling leaves and the patina of lichens in a meditation on movement and rhythm.”
Autumn Cascade, oil, 48 x 48 in.
Teare hopes that viewers come away with a sense of connection. “Not just to the image of the Western landscape, but to the energy and emotion within it,” he says. “These are not just pictures of place; they’re reservoirs of vitality, like a battery that energizes the viewer. My goal is that each painting continues to give something back—a bit of quiet strength, a renewal of creative energy or a sense of being deeply rooted in the timeless.”
A reception will be held on the opening night from 5 to 7 p.m. —
Legacy Gallery 225 Canyon Road » Santa Fe, NM 87501 » (505) 986-9833 » www.legacygallery.com
Powered by Froala Editor
