Art Reflection – Bierstadt Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902) was a German-American painter best known for grand landscape memoirs of his travels. His realistic, romantic and luminous interpretations are numerous. He studied in Germany and spent time with the Hudson River School. He travelled to Switzerland and made many trips westward in our country sharing the views of settlers. You may have …

Art Reflection – Jenkins Paul Jenkins (1923-2012) was an American Abstract Expressionist. He studied at the Art Students League in New York City and was a friend of other abstract artists, namely Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Paul Jenkins used a “paint pouring and canvas wrestling” technique. He used buckets and garbage cans to splash dye onto handmade paper and …

Art Reflection – Rothko Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was born in Dvinsk, Russia. He immigrated to the United States at 10. He attended Yale on a full scholarship, studied at the Art Students League of New York City and taught for 20 years at the Center Academy of the Brooklyn Jewish Center. His works in Color Field/Abstract Expressionism are displayed in …

Art Reflection – Parrish I was reminded of this piece by Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) as I took in the sunrise this Sunday morning. Here you can see that Parrish, an American artist and illustrator, captured the sunrise tints of yellow and pink that we can know in this November time. Parrish was raised in a Quaker community in Pennsylvania. His …

Art Reflection – Kershisnik Utah based artist, Brian Kershisnik (1962 -) is one I turn to often. He seems to represent the human experience and condition in both emblematic and quizzical ways. His pieces, painting and prints, pulled from these, are not quickly analyzed or concluded. Fall Coming Like Three Sisters is a faithful example of his work. His childhood involved …

Art Reflection – Refregier Anton Refregier (1905-1979) emigrated from Russia in 1920. He went to the Rhode Island School of Design as a scholarship student. After graduation, he joined an artist colony in upstate New York. He was a painter and muralist. He accomplished many pieces within the Federal Art Project of the New Deal’s Works Project Administration, the WPA. This …

Art Reflection – Rivera I am writing this reflection on Indigenous People Day, October 13, 2025, and find myself irresistibly pulled to the work of Diego Rivera (1886-1957). Diego Rivera was an artist for the poor and working class that sustained Mexico after the revolution. In many pieces, he portrays the humble calla vendors who struggled to carry glorious flowers …

Art Reflection – Kandinsky Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian-born painter and pioneer of abstraction. He was an Expressionist believing in the power of strong colors to inspire emotions. This piece represents his more realistic work. It was his first done with a palette knife. Here we see the beginning of his moving from details to shapes of color. This exploration …

Art Reflection – Ruisdael The remarkable and softer light of fall always brings me back to the Dutch Masters of the 17th century. It takes me back in utter appreciation of artists such as Jacob van Ruisdael who painted Wheat Fields 355 years ago. This work is an example of expertise in observation and technique with humility and inspiration in perspective. …

Art Reflection – Christy Howard Chandler Christy (1872-1952) was an American painter and illustrator who went through many artistic phases including article illustrations, portraits and historic pieces. His paintings of history involved meticulous authenticity and detailed, exact studies of portraits of subjects, clothing styles, rooms and surroundings of the day. Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States …