CURRENT EXHIBITS
Ron Arthaud
Tuscarora Seasons
On view in Halleck Bar Gallery until August 21, 2022
Artist Reception Thursday, June 9th from 5:30 - 7:30
p.m. in Halleck Bar Gallery
This show is somewhat unusual as so much of the town of
Tuscarora is represented. I have been trying to paint more of
the “raw” landscape. The two are quite different. In towns, I
love the chaos of all the odd lines and colors. The more
complicated the better. Pure landscape is less about
composition and more about the light of the moment, the
weight and grandness of the earth. And sage, probably the
hardest thing I’ve ever painted, loving it more all the time, the subtle colors changing over the seasons, such a compact mass, yet so
open.
All the paintings in this exhibition are done en plein air, a common French term used by painters, which means “done outdoors.” The
title is unavoidable as I work outside all year long, so all the seasons are represented.
Seasons could also mean the constant change in Tuscarora—friends lost, moved on, the decay of many of the buildings. Time that
won’t be repeated. While painting, I try not to think of time past or the backstory. Ideally, you just get lost in the act of painting,
trying to capture the light and color. I imagine the feeling of place, loss, history, and peaceful melancholy can’t be avoided in the
work—a good thing.
My schooling was quite varied: four years of Fine Arts with much freedom and few rules. Afterword, I studied full time for three
years at a “classical realist” school that was extremely disciplined with the goal of learning to “see” the true colors, shapes, and
values, as well as the many different types of mediums. My hope is to combine both loose, free brushstrokes with accurate colors,
shapes, and lines. Visual mixing, much like in impressionism, is a hope—painting with a brush loaded with different colors seen in
the subject. When you step back to view, the colors mix in your eye to melt into the “true” color. All things have every color
represented in them, especially with all the reflection from the neighboring objects.
These paintings are oil done on pure linen. I only use the primary colors: red, blue, yellow—two versions of each plus white. I only
work about an hour per painting to capture the specific light. I mark the spot and time to return. Usually, I can finish within a
couple of weeks if too much does not change in the scene.
Elko County Art Club
Annual Show & Sale
On view in Barrick Gallery until August 21, 2022
Each year, Elko County Art Club impresses the community and traveling patrons with the artwork that they have recently been
working on. All of the pieces are unique and original works of art. Come in and support our local artists!