Halls of Mountains
2021
A series inspired by the Pacific Northwest landscape that surrounds me.
As a child I loved making small spaces inside big spaces. Sometimes it was a tiny fort in a big living room, but often it was finding small spaces hidden among rocks and trees in the woods that I spent hours in around my home. I love finding coziness in the middle of spaciousness.
Now as an adult I spend a lot of time hiking the mountains where I live: Tiger Mountain, Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Taylor Mountain, to name some of them. The trails I hike give that coziness in the middle of nature’s spaciousness. There are few of the expected big vistas on these mountains; the predominant view instead is that of trees surrounding you, some toppled over, as the Pacific Northwest light filters in amongst them. These moments feel like I’m standing in the halls of these mountains.
There are a variety of sizes in these pieces, from large pieces that felt like doorways to me to small pieces that felt more like windows into those larger views. All pieces are mixed media in acrylic and charcoal pencil.
The Doorways
These large pieces are 30” x 30” cradled wood panels with a 2” deep cradle. As I created the work, the intention was to make these pieces feel like large doorways into the spaces.
Halls of Mountains, Doorway 1
30” x 30” cradled panel
Not available
Halls of Mountains, Doorway 2
30” x 30” cradled panel
🔴 SOLD
The Hallways
These pieces are on 18” x 18” paper and were the first pieces done in the series. Here they’re shown matted in a 26” x 26” frame.
Each piece is available for purchase unmounted and unframed. (If you’re local to the Seattle area and would like to buy a mounted and framed version, please contact me.)
Halls of Mountains 4
🔴 SOLD
Halls of Mountains 3
🔴 SOLD
Halls of Mountains 7
🔴 SOLD
The Windows
These are the smallest pieces in the series — 12” x 12” cradled wood panels that are 3/4” deep. Each piece is shown framed in a simple black float frame.
Each piece is $225 with shipping included and comes framed in a black floater frame, ready to hang.
Halls of Mountains, Window 2
🔴 SOLD
Halls of Mountains, Window 2
Halls of Mountains, Window 1
🔴 SOLD
Halls of Mountains, Window 1
Halls of Mountains, Window 3
Purchase this piece
Halls of Mountains, Window 3
Halls of Mountains, Window 4
🔴 SOLD
Halls of Mountains, Window 4
Halls of Mountains, Window 5 (not available)
Halls of Mountains, Window 5 (not available)
Halls of Mountains, Window 6
🔴 SOLD
Halls of Mountains, Window 6
More about “Halls of Mountains”
Working in monochrome
Why did I choose to work in monochrome for this series?
The answer is simple for two reasons. The first is that I just really like working in Payne’s Gray, a blue-black color that, to me, always feels like a part of a Pacific Northwest palette.
But the other answer is that I find myself most attracted to shape over form. When I’m surrounded by my favorite forest places, I notice first how the trees, both fallen and standing, make shapes. It’s the combination of those shapes that I find endlessly fascinating.
I also felt that working in monochrome allowed me to focus on how these shapes are contrasted against the way the dim, diffuse Pacific Northwest light must fight and claw its way through our dim skies and the tops of trees to make it through and highlight these shapes.
If you have any questions about the work in the Halls of Mountains series, please get in touch with me. You can also see other selected works or browse other available paintings to purchase.