Back to the Land

Back to the LandNoelle Phares brings a fresh perspective into her landscape paintings through examination of the tension between organic and synthetic. As an environmental scientist by training, she allows the same topics that drove her work in the natural sciences to seep into her creative work. Her body of work combines landscape elements with structural geometry to create fractured architectural landscapes that explore the ever encroaching presence of humanity

Noelle Phares brings a fresh perspective into her landscape paintings through examination of the tension between organic and synthetic. As an environmental scientist by training, she allows the same topics that drove her work in the natural sciences to seep into her creative work. Her body of work combines landscape elements with structural geometry to create fractured architectural landscapes that explore the ever-encroaching presence of humanity into previously pristine open spaces. She holds a BS in Biochemistry, and an MS in Environmental Science. She has been painting throughout the American West over the last decade, and currently lives and paints full-time out of Denver, Colorado.

Show Title: 'Signs of Life'
“This is the second collection that I created while pregnant with my son, mostly during the last trimester. Given the timing, I was deeply entrenched in the exercise of searching for signs of life within my own body. I could feel my son moving inside while I sketched and painted; could feel the draw on my own energy as my body diverted resources towards him. I can’t help but sense his presence in the finished paintings, knowing that the task of growing him was balanced with genesis on panel. These twin acts of creation fed and informed each other.
The paintings themselves offer depictions of signs of human life. Wherever humans are, built elements exist. The best of design draws on the form of the landscape around it to enhance the structure’s presence and function, thus the scenes in each attempt to do the same. There is also a sense of play in these artworks as I largely allowed the composition to unfold during the painting itself instead of relying on a well-formed plan made before setting my sights on the panel (my typical practice). They are all quite small, which was purposeful in that I have an easier time being exploratory on small surfaces than on large ones. 7 of the 9 paintings are finished in ornate, vintage-like frames that provide a stark contrast to the contemporary landscapes that play out on the panels themselves. Each is a world within itself, not much informed by the painting that came before or after it. They are, principally, an exercise in raw creativity - a process that I very much needed at this time in my life.”