The painting that made me fall in love with art was I Dream of Strawberry Sulfur by Aaron M. Bushnell. It’s an oil painting depicting a curving road that leads off into the distance, with a complex of industrial, plain, utilitarian buildings on either side. The sky stretches wide and open, painted in soft, fading shades of peach, pink, and pale orange near the horizon. It captures that moment just after sunset – not quite night yet, but on the edge of dusk, as the street lights begin to turn on and the warmth of the day is slipping away. I was automatically captivated by the scene. It was weird to me how a cityscape, much like the ones I see every day, inspired me so much, but then it hit me. The extraordinary thing about it was the fact that I see things like it every day. Immediately, I was reminded of the many evening drives on I-15 I spent in the backseat driving back home from Salt Lake City, admiring the sky. It wasn’t just a sunset and a road. It was finding beauty in the everyday and ordinary. This person I’ve never met made me feel understood in a way no one else had. I had always enjoyed drawing; I had always admired the famous works of artists that preceded me, and already my closet was brimming with filled-up sketchbooks. But that’s when I think I really got it. It was a really pretty picture, but art isn’t necessarily just about making pretty pictures. Art is about us. It’s one soul saying, “This is how I feel,” and another responding, “Really?! I thought I was the only one.” Art is how we explain to one another what it’s like to be alive.

That’s why I jumped on the opportunity to work with Friends of Pando as soon as I got the chance. Because Pando has a sort of quiet confidence and regality to it that can’t be effectively described through words. It’s a marvel that we look upon with awe and reverence. We can’t really wrap our heads around the beauty of life and the incredible wonders like Pando that nature has given us. That’s what I want to showcase with my work: how it feels to be in that moment where the world feels so very big and we feel so very small. To bask in the beauty of life and contemplate our place in it all. I’m interested in Pando’s role in the ecosystem as well – how it was foundational for so much of the Fishlake scene we see today.

Vincent van Gogh said, “find things beautiful as much as you can; most people find too little beautiful.” My work in Pando furthers my overall artistic goal to put nature on display for people to contemplate, appreciate, and “find beautiful.”

So why Pando? Because life is beautiful and our world is incredible. And I want to share that with as many people as I can.