Across the Road

The rolling foothills, rugged mountains, and sharp red rock found in the West have always held great appeal to me. I am a keen observer of the environment around me. I am con­stantly making mental notes about what is happening to the land at various times of day and at different times of year. As I began to paint the landscape around me, I realized that many of the scenes that were the most interesting to me were found while traveling in the car. The Western United States is known for its stunning scenery, dramatic vistas, and national parks. I discovered for myself as I was making my own journeys to these popular places that I loved the landscape I was experiencing along the way more than what I was finding at the journey's end. I began shooting images the car window, attempting to capture anything I found inter­esting. Usually, the photos taken along the way far outnumber those taken at the destination. These photos taken from the moving car have become the basis of what I take into the studio to make my paintings. Part o f the appeal to me o f the process o f collecting images this way is the element o f chance and the unexpected. With the car in motion, there is not much time to think about w hat is happening or plan the com position. I often shoot the same stretches of road at different times of the day and at different times of year and get completely differ­ent material to work from. These images are collected so they can be studied later and ideas can be expanded on later in the studio. Shape is w hat I think about most when I am creating an image. The idea of emphasizing strong shapes and patterns lends itself very well to exploring contrasts in scale and color for dram aticeffect. I am always looking to experiment with relationships and transitions be­tween various elements in the landscape. Clouds, sky, mountains, fields, silo, sheds, all create interesting and compelling environments. Land and cloud forms are defined in terms of light and shade while distance determines value and temperature of those shapes. As an artist, I can manipulate the elements in a painting to make dramatic and bold statements about the landscape. I can control the scale, contrast, and rhythm o f the various shapes in my paint­ings to accentuate a certain idea or mood of the environment. I am working to translate a three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional plane. I w ant the viewer to be rewarded not only by looking at the brush strokes close up, but by standing back and enjoying the overall design.

ACROSS THE ROAD by David W. Meikle A final project paper submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts Department of Art and Art History The University of Utah May 2006 Copyright © David Wayne Meikle 2006 All Rights Reserved THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a final project paper submitted by David W. Meikle This final paper has been read by each member of the following supervisory committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory. 5 - ^ 7' 06 z / /V / 6C Chairman: R. D. Wilson ( - - ( ^ - / J John Erickson Raymond Morales THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS FINAL READING APPROVAL I have read the final project paper o f_____________ David W. Meikle in its final form and have found that (1) its format, citations, and bibliographic style are consistent and acceptable; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the Supervisory Committee and is ready for submission to the Graduate School. ■ 3 - 0 7 - Date R. D. Wilson Chairperson, Supervisory Committee Approved for the Major Department Elizabeth A. Peterson Chairperson Approved for the Graduate Council ABSTRACT The rolling foothills, rugged mountains, and sharp red rock found in the West have always held great appeal to me. I am a keen observer of the environment around me. I am con­stantly making mental notes about what is happening to the land at various times of day and at different times of year. As I began to paint the landscape around me, I realized that many of the scenes that were the most interesting to me were found while traveling in the car. The Western United States is known for its stunning scenery, dramatic vistas, and national parks. I discovered for myself as I was making my own journeys to these popular places that I loved the landscape I was experiencing along the way more than what I was finding at the journey's end. I began shooting images the car window, attempting to capture anything I found inter­esting. Usually, the photos taken along the way far outnumber those taken at the destination. These photos taken from the moving car have become the basis of what I take into the studio to make my paintings. Part of the appeal to me of the process of collecting images this way is the element of chance and the unexpected. With the car in motion, there is not much time to think about what is happening or plan the composition. I often shoot the same stretches of road at different times of the day and at different times of year and get completely differ­ent material to work from. These images are collected so they can be studied later and ideas can be expanded on later in the studio. Shape is what I think about most when I am creating an image. The idea of emphasizing strong shapes and patterns lends itself very well to exploring contrasts in scale and color for dramatic effect. I am always looking to experiment with relationships and transitions be­tween various elements in the landscape. Clouds, sky, mountains, fields, silo, sheds, all create interesting and compelling environments. Land and cloud forms are defined in terms of light and shade while distance determines value and temperature of those shapes. As an artist, I can manipulate the elements in a painting to make dramatic and bold statements about the landscape. I can control the scale, contrast, and rhythm of the various shapes in my paint­ings to accentuate a certain idea or mood of the environment. I am working to translate a three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional plane. I want the viewer to be rewarded not only by looking at the brush strokes close up, but by standing back and enjoying the overall design. My work is about using relationships to heighten reality. I am interested in emphasizing the abstract nature of landscape by experimenting with contrasts between shapes found in the landscape. There are many notions of abstraction that can be found in exploring images based on reality. My goal as an artist is to continually explore forms and patterns found in the landscape to give my work as much visual impact as possible. DEDICATION For my beautiful wife Lacy and my two children Daniel and Amelia. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................................................ vi PREFACE..................................................................................................................... vii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................... 1 II. FORMAL ELEMENTS..................................................................1 III. CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT...........................................3 IV. PRESENTATION OF THE WORK...........................................6 V. THE WORK.....................................................................................7 REFERENCES.............................................................................................................18 SELECTED BIBILOGRAPHY................................................................................ 19 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife, Lacy Egbert, for all of her support and encouragement while I was in graduate school. I am also grateful to my parents, Dr. A. Wayne and Sharon Meikle, for all of their love and support. I also appreciate Scott Greer, Art Director, at University Marketing and Communications and Mark Woodland, Assistant Vice President for University Relations, for being very accommodating with my work schedule while I returned to school. I am also very grateful to my committee who were generous with their time and advice. Sam Wilson, John Erikson, Bob Olpin, and Ray Morales are all outstanding faculty members and are a credit to both their profession and to this University. I also appreciate the rest of the Art and Art History faculty at the University of Utah for pushing me to become a better artist. Finally, I would like to thank Randy Hanskat, a great copywriter, colleague, and friend from the University Marketing and Communications Department, for his help in editing this manuscript. PREFACE This work, in many ways, is a continuation of my experience as an artist after I finished my bachelors degree in Illustration and Graphic Design at the University of Utah. I have worked since completing my BFA for the University and am now have the position of Senior Graphic Designer in the University Marketing and Communications department. As I worked full time doing graphic design and free-lance illustration, I also made time to pursue a personal journey in painting landscapes that reflect my experience of the West and my own travels. Many of the images used in this show are from experiences before I started in the MFA program. My intention in coming back to school was to take all of my experience, both with my previous painting ideas as well as professional graphic design/illustraration practices, and develop a new body of work in a shared and academically rigorous environment such as is found in a University MFA program. I see this show as a culmination of my experience with the landscape from about 1994 to 2005. ACROSS THE ROAD Introduction I love the landscape of the West. The rolling foothills, rugged mountains, and sharp red rock found in the West have always held great appeal for me. I've been a keen observer of the environment, constantly aware of what is happening to the land at various times of day and at different times of year. When I began painting, Western landscapes were my obvious choice of subject matter. An interesting thing happened when I began to research settings for my paintings. While on the way to more "glamorous" settings such as Utah's numerous national parks, I found myself attracted to the scenes that were rapidly passing outside the car window. Grant­ed the landscapes of the national parks and monuments of the West are beautiful, and are, in fact, what most people consider to be beautiful landscape material. But in their rush to get to those "destinations," those same people overlook everything passing by "across the road." Their focus on those destinations totally overlooks the material in between. In contrast, when I was heading down to the nearest national park and celebrated vista, I discovered that I loved the landscape that I was experiencing along the way more than what I was finding at my destinations. I began shooting images out of the moving car at anything that I found interesting. Then, and to this day, the photos taken along the way usu­ally far outnumber those taken at the destination. These passing images taken of the "throw away" scenery have become the basis of what I take into the studio to make my paintings. For me, part of the appeal of the process of collecting images this way is the element of chance and the unexpected. With the car in motion, there is not much time to think about what is happening or plan the composition. I often shoot the same stretches of road at dif­ferent times of day and at different times of year and get completely different material to work from. These images are collected so they can be studied later, generating ideas for future studio work. Those paintings or prints usually begin as thumbnail sketches, where shapes and size relationships are worked out. Sometimes the sketches are photocopied and color pen­cils are used to work out the color value relationships. Regardless of the method, everything begins with those photos from "across the road." Formal Elements When looking at my work, I feel shape is the most important aspect in my paint­ings. While out traveling, I am always on the lookout for interesting shapes and patterns. My paintings are based on my experience of the landscape with a strong emphasis on the shapes found in the environment. Creating work that emphasizes shape allows me to experiment with relationships and contrasts, produce work that is strong visually, and explore notions of reality and abstraction. I am also very intrigued by the cubist notion of breaking down objects into planar shapes, and in the idea of reinterpreting the landscape to fit my own per­sonal vision. Shape is what I think about most when creating an image. The idea of emphasizing strong shapes and patterns lends itself very well to exploring contrasts in scale and color for dramatic effect. I am always looking to experiment with relationships and transitions be­tween various elements in the landscape. Clouds, sky, mountains, fields, silos, farm or ranch buildings, sheds - all create interesting and compelling shapes and patterns. Land and cloud forms are defined in terms of light and shade, while distance determines value and tempera­ture of those shapes. As an artist, I can manipulate the elements in a painting to make bold, dramatic statements about the landscape. I can control the scale, contrast, and rhythm of the various shapes to accentuate a certain idea or mood of the environment. I like work that stands out. I am naturally attracted to strong, simplified shapes and patterns. In the landscape of the West, I can find plenty of subject matter for paintings that accentuate the bold, flat shapes that I see. I am working to translate a three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional plane. I approach the landscape much as a graphic designer would. I look for opportunities to study relationships between shapes and forms using basic design principals to create work that is designed to catch the eye of the viewer and make the work stand out from the many other competing visual images already out there. Much like a magazine advertisement or billboard is designed to capture the attention of the viewer in a sea of visual clutter, I am designing my work to draw a viewer's eye with strong, simplified shapes that work on several levels of viewing. I want the viewer to be rewarded not only by looking at the paint close up, but by standing back and enjoying the overall design. I also find that emphasizing shape brings order to visual chaos. By refining and simplifying land-forms I create an organized environment not encumbered by needless, distracting detail. Many of the images I paint are of often overlooked environments. I'm interested in "see­ing" the world around me and not just "looking" at preconceived elements that are merely symbols in my mind. By breaking elements down into simplified shapes, I can find interest­ing and compelling relationships between elements of our world that are often overlooked. I am very interested in emphasizing the abstract nature of landscape by experimenting with contrasts between shapes found in the landscape. There are many notions of abstraction that can be found in exploring images based on reality. My work is about using relationships to heighten reality. In the landscape of the West, I find unlimited opportunities to create strong, bold statements about the land using shape. My continuing goal as an artist is to keep refin­ing and simplifying the forms and patterns to give my work as much visual impact as possible while still keeping the painting as a believable environment. Conceptual Development I have always been interested in making paintings about the western landscape be­cause it is the environment I am experiencing firsthand. Other people have access to the same subjects that I see as they pass by the car windows. Yet those people don't give those images more than a cursory glance. I am interested in recording what is found along the journey, not just at the destination. Much of my work is not just about mountains and clouds, but struc­tures and vehicles that are very much a part of what can be seen from the road. Although not viewed as "artistic" by most travelers, I think these elements symbolize our society's relation­ship to the land. Trucks and trains symbolize the lifeblood of our economy. Without trans­portation, there would be no commerce. Farms, silos, and sheds are symbols of our need to work the land and provide a living and food. Many of these structures are not thought of as particularly beautiful or worthy of inclusion in a painting. But these buildings serve a pur­pose and are a critical part of the lifestyles, not to mention the settings, of the people who populate these areas. The fields themselves symbolize division and ownership of the land­scape, as well as providing food and a living. I am interested in this relationship to the land. Our society inevitably leaves its footprint on the landscape. Roads and train tracks leave un­naturally straight lines across the landscape when viewed from ground and street level. Fields make bold colorful patterns that lend themselves to strong compositions. Many of these elements are purposely incorporated into my paintings because of the perspective found from the road. Beyond the compositional elements, there are other factors to consider when viewing the landscape. On its surface, landscape painting is easily approachable to a mass audience. That popularity can be a bane, as landscape painting is often criticized as not being "serious" art. Critics say the medium often lacks depth and tension. As an artist living in the West, I often have to defend the fact that I produce art about my surroundings and the fact that I feel art connected to a place can have a deeper meaning. Many of these criticisms are addressed by Brian Ashbee in an article titled "A Future for Landscape" found in Art Review in 1999. His article begins by explaining that land­scape painting has been a victim of its own success. In the 19th century landscape subjects were very popular, thanks to inexpensive reproductions on post cards and advertising. These images became kitsch for the masses and were copied by amateur painters. This commodi­fication also calls into question the depth of sincerity and emotion that can be found in the images. The scenery is "packaged" and enjoyed by a viewer who does not have to make the journey himself. Ashbee also talks about how pastoral landscapes are seen as peaceful and lack much of the tension and excitement that can be found in urban areas. (1) Arguments such as these are frequently used against landscape painting being a "serious" subject. Ashbee also asserts that much of the landscape painting in the 18th and 19th century seems so tranquil, yet actually shows great tension and social upheaval. Much of the farmland was being divided and the patchwork quilt of fields was actually part of the "enclosure move­ment". This meant that landowners were attempting to maximize productivity of the land and dispossess small landowners and reengage them as tenant farmers or landless laborers. (2) This observation was interesting to me because many of the subjects I paint are at risk of disappearing. There is a continuing demise of small, family run farms in Utah and the West. Those small farmers, who can't compete with the large agro-business corporate farms, are sell­ing off their land to eager developers. Not only is there a loss of family farms, but open space as well. Much of this upheaval can be seen from the road as fields are turned into housing developments or fall into disuse and disrepair due to lack of economic prospects. Sadly, many of the subjects I paint are elements that will probably be overtaken by advancing society. Ashbee points out that landscape is not just an art genre but a medium. The land­scape is already structured and layered by cultural symbolism that has been, and will contin­ue to be, used by artists for their own agendas. According to the author, landscape painting is not just about the forms of the environment and how we perceive those forms. He states, "We recognize objects by inference, referring the optical information they give us to a stock of schema, or templates, which are located in our personal and cultural memories. Our gaze is not just on the landscape, to an extent it is the landscape." (3) Landscape painting is about the cultural, social, and historical determinates of our perception. Landscape painting is the medium that the reality of the environment combines with human subjectivity and inter­pretation. For me, this definition of landscape painting makes the practice a legitimate and fertile ground for artistic expression now and in the future. Mary Hull Webster also wrote an article in defense of landscape painting in the May 1997 issue of Artweek titled "Locating the West." She relates an offhand dismissal of artwork that does not measure up to the standards of internationalism made by a fashionable Man­hattan gallery owner while passing through San Francisco. Webster talks about the increased speed of visual communication and dissemination of ideas that leads to an increased gener­alization of thoughts from cultural centers such as New York. This internationalization of cul­ture downplays local and indigenous ideals. However, the author maintains that international style cannot come from a vacuum and that culture is the sum of a very many parts. (4) The author also describes the West as a center of a culture that is connected to the land and the environment. She states, "I can describe only my own view of the West, neces­sarily as generalization, as an energetic center that is closer to the earth than to the abstract thinking of a place that needs to rise above a gritty rustbelt reality. It's hard to maintain existential despair under a cloudless blue dome; why should we transcend one of the most beautiful landscapes on earth." (5) She goes on to say "The purpose of art in our very multi­cultural society may be more communitas than making transcendent images to be viewed by strangers in chilly, corporate institutions that determine art's value and power along modern lines of exclusivity and distance from ordinary life." Webster concludes by saying that art cre­ated in the West is not a product but is an experience and comes from first-hand experience that is worthy of serious attention. (6) I find myself squarely in this mindset. I am aware of the culture and thought com­ing out of places like New York. I have traveled to and lived in many great cultural centers in my lifetime. I have been to New York and Europe but I don't want to make art about those places because I don't have a connection to those environments. I want to make art about Utah and the West because I have an established intimacy with the landscapes. Presentation of the Work "Across the Road" has two different approaches to the landscape. The main compo­nent is a series of oil paintings based mostly on images collected from a moving car or shot from a roadside perspective. The scale of the paintings vary in size from very large to very small and are painted on both canvas and hard-board. The other component includes a series of black and white images that come from the same source material as the paintings. The images are drawn using white scratchboard and black India ink, which are then transferred to photopolymer plates and printed using a letterpress. All of the images are printed on the same size sheet of Rosipina (Fabriano) etching paper. I have also included several colored pencil drawings that I use to work out color value relationships. The show was hung in the Gittins Gallery in the University of Utah Art Building from July 18th to the 29th, 2005. North Salt Lake Gravel Pits 12" x 16", oil on board 2005 Fields Near Enterprise 11" x 14", oil on board 2003 Sfcr SB 7 Strom Over Great Salt Lake 11" x 14", oil on canvas 2004 Amalga Storm 16" x 20", oil on board 2003-5 Woodruff Barn in Autumn 18" x 24", oil on board 2004 8 Woodruff Truck Across the Road 12" x 16" oil on board 2005 View of Levan 16" x 20", oil on board 2004 Open Sky 40" x 50", oil on canvas 2004 9 Utility Barn, Cache Valley 18" x 40", oil on canvas 2003 Tanker Cars and Rolling Hills 16" x 20", oil on board 2004 Blue Mountains 16" x 20", oil on board 2004 10 Westbound on 1-80 46" x 75", oil on canvas 2005 Winter in Southern Utah 16" x 20", oil on canvas 2005 Mapleton Tree 18" x 24", oil on board 2005 3% 11 Wyoming Hills, Early Morning 18" x 24", oil on board 2003-5 Utah Farmer 42" x 28, oil on board 2004 12 The Road to Amalga 42" x 92", oil on canvas 2003 Hay Bales and Fields 11" x 14", oil on board 2004 Wyoming Farm 16" x 20", oil on board 2003-5 13 Mt. Carmel 11" x 14", letterpress print 2004 Capitol Reef 11" x 14", letterpress print 2004 Desert Butte 11" x 14", letterpress print 2004 • MttKLE* 14 Mt. Olympus 11" x 14", letterpress print 2004 Torrey Butte 11" x 14", letterpress print 2004 Mt. Nebo 11" x 14", letterpress print 2004 • M E t K U - 15 16 Uncle Jon, preliminary sketch 11" x 14", colored pencil on photocopy 2004 November Hills, preliminary sketch 11" x 14", colored pencil on photocopy 2005 Winter in Southern Utah, preliminary sketch 11" x 14", colored pencil on photocopy 2005 17 David Meikle A C R O S S T H E R O A D Gittins Gallery | July 18-29, 2005 Artist Reception: Wednesday, July 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The University of Utah Department of Art &r Art History' 375 South 1530 East, Rm. 161 Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Gallery Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. * Phone:[phone] www.David-Meikle.com "Across the Road" is a presentation of paintings and prints by David Meikle. His interpretations of the land­scape are an exploration of the relationship between landforms, light, and distance. Much of the imagery comes from the artist's travels throughout the West along the Interstate highways and backroads. David's paintings can be found in public, corporate, and private collections including the Springville Museum of Art and Salt Lake County. 18 REFFERENCES 1. Ashbee, Brian (1999). A Future for Landscape? Art Review (London, England) 2. Ashbee, Brian (1999). A Future for Landscape? Art Review (London, England) 3. Ashbee, Brian (1999). A Future for Landscape? Art Review (London, England) 4. Webster, Mary Hull (May 28, 1997). Locating the West Artweek 5. Webster, Mary Hull (May 28, 1997). Locating the West Artweek 6. Webster, Mary Hull (May 28, 1997). Locating the West Artweek 19 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Arnold Skolnick, ed., Paintings o f California. New York: Chameleon Books, 1993 Arnold Skolnick, ed., Paintings o f the Southwest. New York: Chameleon Books, 1994 Donald J. Hagerty, Beyond the Visible Terrain: The Art of Ed Mel. Flagstaff: Arizona, Northland Publishing, 1996 Donald J. Hagerty, Desert Dreams: The Art and Life of Maynard Dixon. Salt Lake City, Utah, Gibbs Smith Publishing, 1997 Douglas Allen and Douglas Allen, Jr., N.C. Wyeth, New York: Bonanza Books, 1984 Ita G. Berkow, Edward Hopper, An American Master. New York: Smithmaker Publishers, 1996 Robert Pack Browning and Will South, Earl Jones. Salt Lake City: University Press, University of Utah, 1995 Wanda M. Corn, Grant Wood: The Regionalist Vision. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983 Will South and Dean L. May, Images o f the Great Salt Lake. Salt Lake City: University Printing Services, University of Utah, 1996