Artists often enter school with raw talent and leave with newly sharpened skills, expected to begin careers—sometimes before they’ve lived long enough to know what they want to say. That possibility nagged at Ben Childress. After a year at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, he […]
One way of looking at art has always been as a luxury item. Hence the precious metal castings and finest-stone sculptures, the gold-leaf frames, and such personal adornments as jewelry and splendid accessories. Then, in the 20th century, other options emerged. In part, that was a result of […]
Holly Rios began her training at Western Colorado University, studying printmaking and English, until—as she puts it—she “did the art-school thing and dropped out to learn about real life.” The time away didn’t pull her from art so much as widen the lens: work, people, desire, power, and […]
In Master Classes, we were taught never to start an essay with a dictionary definition and to avoid the thesaurus at all costs. So I’m going to break two expensive rules by quoting the thesaurus here, concerning the title of one of artist Jordan Layton’s pieces, currently on […]
If there is an artistic form that the Utah audience might survive seeing less of, surely it’s the landscape: a medium that is tolerant of exploitation almost to a fault, and which has seemingly been shown in every way imaginable. Of course, discerning individuals might argue that what’s […]
“When I set out to start this series, I had spent two years doing only self portraits, and I got so bored of it,” says artist Matalyn Zundel during the opening reception for her latest show, No Woman Is an Island. “I just started painting my friends, and […]
Walking into Finch Lane Gallery, one is immediately struck by the sheer scope of Carel Brest van Kempen’s work, by what feels like a lifetime of meticulous observation and dedication to painting. BIODIVERGENT presents an extensive range of pieces, oscillating between hyperrealistic renderings of wildlife and surreal, metaphor-laden […]
Once confronted with the name “Copper Ouroboros,” many might think of a serpent swallowing its tail, or a never-ending cycle, a symbol of infinity. But for others, copper evokes something different: a utilitarian resource, essential yet often overlooked, a material tied to industry, infrastructure, and, crucially, environmental consequence. […]
There are some very colorful artists’ books at Finch Lane this month, but two in particular stand out for their bold use of red, white and … black. This trio falls just shy of the colors of the American Flag, the artist’s point likely being that her subjects […]
I have noticed that people are very fond of views out of windows which show the window in the picture. I think the idea that the picture itself is a kind of window, that the view comes readily framed, is part of it. – Peter Campbell, British artist […]
Humanity is the species that travels, and paves our environment to expedite our journeys. When we aren’t able, or don’t want to go in person, we can transport just about anything to anywhere, and all this deliberate motion has resulted in whole industries that respond to the belief […]
It would surely come as a surprise to visit an artist’s home and find in it no works of art, no books, and most unlikely of all, little evidence of the owners’ creativity. The home of Mark and Kari England, a charming house on a street devoid of […]
Shiya Zeng exhibits unfamiliar magic around the perimeter of what I like to call the Sunset Gallery, at Finch Lane. Then, to show just how magical it is, she contrasts it with a relatively mundane counterpoint that appears to restore her audience to Salt Lake City, though to […]
At the Springville Art Museum’s 2023 Spiritual and Religious Art of Utah exhibition, among the hundreds of excellent works that found their way into what must be one of the largest exhibitions of recent art anywhere, one piece that stood out was by an artist unknown to me. […]
Trent Call is a little bit “Disney;” Clint Call is a true Geppetto – a wizard with wood. Together, son and father have a hell of a show going down at Finch Lane. Best in show? Probably the numerous, notable, and intricate hanging kinetic pieces along the walls on […]
There’s a contrast between the exhibition’s title, unruly, and the cooperative, even collaborative feelings evident in the works within. It’s a dissonance that all too clearly arises not in the sentiments of the artist, Alise Anderson, but rather in her recognition of some egregious, inhospitable response from within […]
There are 11 paintings by Pablo Cruz-Ayala, collectively titled Intersections of an Immigrant, at Finch Lane Gallery and one at Salt Lake Community College, where it’s part of their 75th Anniversary Alumni Show. In them, Cruz-Ayala employs a wide variety of media, but the first impression they make […]
Quilting is rapidly moving from folk art to fine art and Sheryl Gillilan is deep into tiny stitches and fabric scraps. Though she continues her day job as executive director of the Holladay Arts Council (she will retire this fall after some six years of delivering diverse arts […]
The 13 new paintings by Hayden White at Finch Lane Gallery challenge an audience and a community used to sharing broad assumptions with its indigenous circle of artists. By skillfully employing representational techniques, such as the behavior of light on materials and surfaces, White makes his work visually […]
