It’s amazing how water connects us, sustains us, and teaches us. Our artists are enamored with the way that light plays upon its surface, the movement and transparency, and always the peace and memories that live upon a shoreline. Please enjoy this selection of works and artist reflections by Kate Starling, Peter Campbell, Dan Young, Marie Figge Wise, Sean Wallis, and Ewoud de Groot.
“I found High Mountain Falls in the Sierra Nevada, kind of up west of Mammoth. A bunch of my friends every so often will do a big painting trip together, so one of our friends put a trip together where we hiked in, and our gear was on horseback. This waterfall was down the mountain from where we were camping, so I’d hike back down and paint. And hike back up.
My paintings really are mostly about the way light is hitting something. As time changes, that changes too. I might stop for the obvious thing that I find interesting, but being there and relaxing into the time and situation, I can see what else is there too… to let the experience take over me instead of imposing myself on the place. It’s a life lesson for me to just slow down and look.”
~KATE STARLING
“Rivers and streams are so integral to my life. They are truly my favorite subjects. My father and I had a strong relationship that centered around fly fishing. He would always say “it’s not the fish so much as the places they live.” We certainly agreed on that point, and it helped feed what became arguably “obsessive.” Big rivers are like novels and streams little poems, with each visit telling a different story I have logged in memory. Mountains and fields or rocks and desert can have similar looks day to day and even year to year, but rivers always surprise me with change.
I have actually painted in waders, and dangerously perched on bridges to get the right vantage point. That is not an exaggeration. I once flipped at least a hundred dollars worth of brushes into the Davidson river and had to chase them around in frigid water barefooted to get them back. I love rivers and I love painting so when the two intersect I hope I am at my best.”
~PETER CAMPBELL
“I wanted the viewer to be led into the background of the painting where you could get a sense of a larger valley, but be counterbalanced with the foreground, with the remaining leaves literally hanging like notes on a musical score in the limbs. That play of warm and cool is always exciting to paint.”
~PETER CAMPBELL
“Among my memories included from painting Lower Roaring Fork is a beautiful day of fishing below Carbondale with the water reflecting a nearly cloudless blue sky and seeing the acid green grass in bright sunlight on the far bank. Each day on the river is different, and I never tire of the experience of witnessing its change. Spring into Summer and Summer into Fall are magical times on this great river. Almost as magical as watching Spring burst forth in this time of Quarantine. I’ve been a captive audience and I applaud Mother Nature for all her magnificence.”
~MARIE FIGGE WISE
“I grew up right on the Roaring Fork River. My parents had a place between Glenwood and Carbondale. We were so lucky. We were either playing in it, fishing on it, swimming in it, tubing on it. My brother and I would leave in the morning with our fishing poles and a bagged lunch and be gone all day. I’ve always had a connection with high mountain streams, but the Roaring Fork River is the one I grew up on. An artist can portray their subject better when they know it well.”
~DAN YOUNG
“Winter Haze depicts the Spring Creek in northern Utah, and was painted en plein air. The fog was breaking allowing a soft light to define the area and give a sort of warmth to such a cold day. This creek has had influence on me all of my life, from playing in it as a boy to being the namesake of my middle school. Anyone in a rural setting has emotional ties to the waterways that gives their community life. I hope those who view this piece feel the same sense of nostalgia that it evokes in me.”
~SEAN WALLIS
“Crossing Elk Nocturne is inspired by my fishing trips. This particular elk painting is inspired by an elk I saw crossing Warm Creek in Ketchum this summer. This was one of those magical occasions standing in the river focusing on the fishing and then suddenly this majestic animal crosses the river a hundred yards away.”
~EWOUD DE GROOT
For more information about Kate Starling, Peter Campbell, Dan Young, Marie Figge Wise, and Sean Wallis or other works, please contact Ann Korologos Gallery by emailing art@korologosgallery.com or calling (970) 927-9668.