Heritage and Landscape . . . the art of JAMES LAVADOUR

From his home in the rural village of Cayuse in northeastern Oregon, James Lavadour spent much of his childhood exploring the hills, valleys, and canyons of the land around him, hiking, hunting, and dreaming. Today, the land still speaks to him and brings to his powerful works an energy and dynamism not often found in landscape painting.

Jim recreates what he sees in the natural environment, then further interprets it in terms of its history, memory, and role in the universe. He is influenced by the ancient Chinese artists, whose “symbols of eternity” led him to create a dialogue with the land, elaborating on its meaning and man’s role within it. Often, he begins with a straightforward focus on the geology and topography of a scene, how light and shadow interact; from there he extrapolates in ways that express universal energy and the physics of paint, using such devices as scrapings, texture, and glazes to create what he calls “windows” and “doors” into the heart of the work. The result is compelling and is attracting collectors from across the United States.

Lavadour has won many awards and been exhibited nationally in museums and galleries, plus his work is in numerous private and public collections. After a stint at Rutgers Brodsky Center for Innovative Print and Paper, Lavadour became one of the founders of Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, a nonprofit art facility, to bring technology, instruction, and cultural exchange to artists on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

(Images from top: Blueback, 36x48; Blast, 24x30; Hummingbird, 48x60 - all oil on panel)

For more images and information on this fascinating artist:

PDX Contemporary Art Gallery, Portland, Oregon – http://www.pdxcontemporaryart.com/
Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee – http://www.cumberlandgallery.com
Grover Thurston Gallery, Seattle, Washington – http://www.groverthurston.com/

-- Rosemary Carstens

http://carstenscommunications.com