Gallery Wild | May 14-24, 2026 | Jackson Hole, WY

Abstraction & Simplification

By Erin E. Rand

Luke Anderson’s paintings are a mix of Western modernism, abstract expressionism and the flattened planes of early video games. “Everything I paint is based on a real scene, but with geometric abstraction and simplification. I think about the physical world almost mathematically, like the idea that curves are really just an infinite number of straight lines,” he says. It’s his way of bringing order to the chaos of the real world.

Downpour, acrylic and oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

His latest solo show is Pixels & Polygons at Gallery Wild in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “What makes Luke’s paintings particularly compelling is the way their surfaces hold time. His process of layering, scraping, masking and rebuilding creates canvases that feel excavated rather than merely painted,” says Carrie Wild, gallery owner. “The work is abstract enough to invite interpretation, yet grounded enough that viewers immediately recognize the spirit of the Western landscape.”

Into the Sunrise, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in.

Anderson works quickly to go from idea to finished piece. The process is an act of simplification. “A lot of times, I’ll freehand from observation and then I’ll take a ruler and see how few lines I can reduce a curve to. That’s how things get really geometric and blocky,” he says. Other times, he “paints with tape,” using masking tape to create forms and shapes from straight lines. Then he adds big fields of color to the canvas and begins adding in details from there.

Last Light Canyon de Chelly, acrylic and oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in.

In Downpour, Anderson depicts a storm cloud on the move through the Southwestern plains, the latest in a series of thunderstorm paintings. “I always thought it was fascinating how you could see the sharp edge where the rain was coming down and where it was,” he says. “I wanted to show the power and scale of storms and how small they make you feel.”

Anderson’s painting Into the Sunrise serves as a departure from his typical geometric style. “I noticed my color choices tend to be more muted and subdued, and I realized I was maybe a little afraid of color,” he says. He challenged himself to use intense colors straight from the tube without mixing. The result is a sunrise of rich textures of oil paints that were built up over many months. “The textures can appear simple from far away, but up close, they’re very complex.”