Nevada Landscapes shown in Arnold exhibit
by Brad Horn, Outpost staff
- Valerie Estvan Arnold's paintings exhibited in the
Walter McNamara Gallery give the audience a glimpse into
"Nevada's geological past."
Her seven-piece collection, "Outcroppings," focuses on different details, lighting, and backgrounds of Nevada landscapes and mountain formations.
Landscapes: Valerie Estvan Arnold's "Outcroppings" show the geological formations of Nevada's mountains
Photo by Brad Horn
When standing back from her work, Arnold's paintings seem loose with movement. But directly looking at her "Outcroppings" the detailed jagged rocks cut into the steel-blue sky surrounding it, with harsh skin-tone, orange, red, purple and brown brush stokes.
In her first piece "Outcropping 1", Arnold an advanced painting student at the university, uses light and shadow well. Greens, browns and blacks detail the shadow in the underbelly of the rock. The rock shoots out the side of the mountain into the skin-tones with hints of orange and red that paint the sky.
Arnold's uses a pink sky to accentuate the rock's forest-green, purple, black and brown shadow in her piece"Outcropping 2.
Her technique of using stark contrasts to create emotion and texture in her paintings is effective. She blends her dark colors as well as the lighter ones to create contrast that adds detail to her work. This gives a good perspective to the light and shadow cast over her images. All her works of art keep the audience interested because of the different angles and moods she uses and creates.
Soft brush strokes of pinks, reds and oranges lead the eye into the darker greens, blacks, browns and purples that are blended to create the soft spikes of the cresting mountains in "Outcropping 3." Arnold uses soft light to lure the eye between the front and back of this painting.
Light and Shadow: Arnold uses blurred backgrounds to highlight the centerpieces of her work--the rock formations.
Photo by Brad Horn
Arnold's four large paintings allow the audience a deeper glance into the landscape of her images.
"Cliff Rock" focuses on a sharp rock protruding out the side of a mountain. The viewer feels like they are standing on the side of a hill, looking off into the barren land.
- Her technique produces art that shows what an eye would catch if it only had three or four seconds to process the image. Arnold catches this quick glimpse in her art by captuing the essence of rocks sticking out the sides of mountains giving the audience a quick peek into her perspective.
Posted March 29, 2000
Copyright 2000 Nevada Oupost