What’s a Palouse? Plein air painters Gregg Caudell and Aaron Cordell Johnson explain via pictures at their upcoming show, which will be on view from May 8 through July 3 at the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center in Moses Lake, Washington.
The Palouse refers to grasslands, hills, and prairies that extend from Idaho into Washington State, “a land that has been transformed from endless grasslands and hardscrabble deserts into a land that feeds the world,” as the show’s invitation says. “It is a land that inspires the long view of life both in the furrows that carve the soil and the easel of the artist.”
“Hanson Station,” by Gregg Caudell, 2015, oil, 14 x 11 in.
Moscow, Idaho, artist Aaron Johnson has produced a number of striking paintings from the area, many with imposing skies. “The endless rolling hills of the Palouse paired with the endless sky bring me constant inspiration,” he says. “When out on the Palouse, the sense of my scale in relationship to the place is an important aspect of the painting that I hope to capture.”
“Afternoon Storm,” by Aaron Cordell Johnson, 2015, oil, 6 x 12 in.
“Farmscape 33,” by Gregg Caudell, 2014, oil, 14 x 11 in.
For more information on the show “Big Bend & Palouse Farmscapes: Gregg Caudell and Aaron Cordell Johnson,” visit the event’s Facebook page.