Thanks for coming out to the show.  If you weren't able to make it; the watercolors will be at the Village at Best Friends Animal Society for 6 weeks.  Or you can look at many of them here on the website.  

Below is the artist statement for the show:

I grew up in Utah where the Rocky Mountains, Great Basin and Colorado Plateau intersect forming some of Earth's most sublime landscapes.  Though you can move away from such a place, you can never part with it.

My love of the Inter-Mountain West--its mystery and beauty, its expansive arid vistas and curious geologic formations--are the inspiration behind my artwork.  Sometimes I paint it representationally, but as of late I am drawn to interpreting the landscape on a more abstract and universal level.

To abstract means to "separate" or "draw away from".  I leave out specific locations and land formations, but maintain the sensory elements of nature: ambient light, texture, immensity of space, atmosphere, and temperature.  By doing so I hope to connect with the viewer on a more intuitive level.  I want each painting to be a window into the viewer's own experience of the land.

I have a few shows going on during the month of December.  If you have some extra time, and your in the area; please stop by:

"Utah Artist Group Show", Dave Ericson Fine Art in Salt Lake City, UT until December 25th.

"Art for Animals", Dixie State College Art Gallery, St. George, UT until January 14th.

"Holiday Art Sale", The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Village, Kanab, UT until January 3rd.

Happy Holidays!

Josh

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--Landscape painters Joshua Baird and Valerie Orlemann are offering an art exhibit benefiting the Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners Organization.    The art exhibit will run from April 5 through June 28 at The Wine Store, 255 S. 300 E. in Salt Lake City—a venue scheduled by the Utah Arts Council.  The artists will donate 10% of their proceeds to the Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners. 

The work of these two painters includes landscapes from the Four Corners and the intermountain west.  However, both painters are based in towns bordering the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.   Joshua Baird works in Kanab, while Valerie Orlemann is based in Escalante.  The artists proposed this benefit to celebrate the importance of the Monument landscape to their art and in recognition of the work of the Partners Organization.  

"The Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to raising awareness and resources in support of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument’s scientific, interpretive, and educational programs.  Visit http://www.gsenm.org/ for more information on the Partners and their work."
--From article in Southern Utah News, press release by Valerie Orlemann. 

This series of paintings may be found under the portfolio entitled "Grand Staircase-Escalante".

My dad and I submitted work to the LDS Church Art Museum's International Art Exhibition. My dad's piece is entitled "Relics of the Restoration".  My piece is entitled "By Design".  

Check out some of my work at Medford Oregon's Rogue Gallery! I'll be the gallery's featured artist for the month of August 2005.  Various selections from the Impressions of Land collection will be shown there throughout the month.