Over the Fourth of July weekend, the BRL installed new artwork in the central library room and in the lobby gallery. We are delighted to have Patrick Kikut’s work from the Sesquicentennial Colorado River Exploring Expedition (SCREE) celebrating the 150th anniversary of the original Powell river trip.
Patrick Kikut Biography In 1987 at the age of 21, I was in Boulder, Colorado when I started thinking of myself as an artist. It was here where I developed an approach to my studio work usually begins with a desire to learn (and experience) a particular space or a stretch of highway somewhere in the Western United States. Rather than exploring the Rocky Mountains at my backdoor, I was drawn to the high plains and the less spectacular landscapes of the West. A quick look at American Art History taught me that the “Expedition Artists” of the 1800s did an excellent job of depicting what is now considered the most dramatic landscapes that are now protected under the National Park system. With this understanding, I decided that I would focus on the miles and miles of landscapes in between the National Parks and Forests the West. Here I can see the push and pull of our ever- encroaching culture and the forces of nature. I earned my BFA from the University of Colorado and my MFA from the University of Montana. I have taught at the college level for over 30 years at Highlands University of New Mexico, University of Texas El Paso, and most recently the University of Wyoming where I taught for 17 years. My work can be found in the public collections of, Nevada Museum of Art, Eiteljorg Museum, Art Museum of Missoula, and the Nicolaysen Museum among others. Artist Statement A critical component of what I call my artistic job description is to travel via highway throughout the Western United States. It is a priority for me to get out into the landscape as much as I possibly can. This tactic has provided me with what I think of as an expansive and unique “artistic neighborhood.” This “artistic neighborhood” reaches from Great Falls, Montana in the North, to El Paso (or Marfa) Texas, in the South, and from Dodge City, Kansas, and West to Reno, Nevada. This is where I have primarily operated for the last 35 years. I cherish every opportunity to drive out into the Western landscape. I feel like I am keeping an eye on things out here. I see development come and go through boom-and-bust cycles. I can see landscapes being encroached upon and in other places development dissolving back into the land. It is my hope that my work represents the enduring beauty and fragility of the everchanging West. In the central library room, Mr. Kikut’s large scale paintings are on exhibit until January 2024. The watercolor field drawings are hanging in the lobby gallery through September. For further information on the artwork, please contact the artist: Email - pkikut@gmail.com Website - patrickkikut.com
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July 2023
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