As I write this letter, a few states across the country are slowly reopening after closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The world has been a surreal place for some weeks now, a Twilight Zone of sorts. The pandemic has grounded us. It brought us...
Despite the diverse creative avenues and mediums showcased in each issue of WA&A, this issue, and every issue, is about place. And while it’s generally accepted that the territory lying west of the 98th meridian defines “the West” in terms of geography, the identity of...
In this issue of WA&A, painter Quang Ho explains creativity in a way that sticks with you. He begins his artistic process with careful observation and a desire to convey an experience, “but when the paint hits the canvas, it becomes a whole different visual...
In 1968, author and artist Henry Miller wrote in his book To Paint is to Love Again: “No doubt the painter, studying the face of the sitter whose portrait he is about to do, must be astonished by the things he suddenly recognizes in the...
Many of the artists and architects profiled inside this issue call our attention to the conversations surrounding the “New West,” a term that emerged among a group of academics known as the New Western Historians in the 1980s. Following the societal changes of the 1960s, they...
A few weeks ago, while typing away, I received a phone call from Jared Swanson. “Christine. I have some news.” What followed was an exchange about the direction and growth of Western Art & Architecture and our priority to provide readers with the absolute “Best of the...
For many artists, bravery is the beginning. It takes courage to share one’s inner imagination. Artists and architects bring to life their perspectives, offering up personal creations for public critique; they leap into the unknown by trusting their instincts, hoping to engage the viewer by...
In this issue of WA&A, a statement that stood out to me came from artist Lee Andre: “We live in a fast-paced, attention demanding, disposable world. My intent is to produce work that counters these aspects of modern life,” (“Auction Block”). For me, this statement served...
In each issue of Western Art and Architecture, we explore the creative process and the resulting work that encourages viewers to consider the West in a new light. The journey that takes an artist from idea, to execution, to examination by an audience may be filled with...
Inside this issue of WA&A, we share the assorted ways that artists and architects use their mediums to express their ideas. Materials that seem fixed — canvas, oil paint, barn wood, concrete, and stone — are transformed into images that communicate beliefs, or structures that...