Evolving tastes and techniques

What starts out on an easel in the backcountry can end up on the wall of your home. Landscape art has long been a gracious way for visitors to the Canadian Rockies to relive their holiday experience.

Imagine being able to peer upon signature peaks to your heart's content and for years to come. "A strong piece of art can provide creative energy to your living space and be one of the best investments you will ever make. It can enhance your life, and inspire family and friends," says Wendy Wacko, artist and owner of Mountain Galleries at The Fairmont (Banff Springs Fine Art and Gallery at Jasper Park Lodge).

Local galleries offer collectors of mountain art many options -- a reflection of what buyers want as well as what artists want to paint. Landscape artists naturally develop their own techniques and approach to composition. These range from classic to contemporary.

Most artists who work in the Canadian Rockies continue to paint en plein air (outdoors). They find this the best way to document the genuine ambiance and feeling of an area. Many also take a modern approach to achieve a contemporary aesthetic.

Mountaineer and artist Glenn Payan uses bold colours on his canvasses of simplified landscapes. It's a style that Barbara Pelham, owner of Banff's Canada House Gallery, calls a "blend of Emily Carr and Dr. Seuss." Although his paintings of hallmark Rocky Mountains feature unrealistic curvatures, they nevertheless stay true to their particular place. "He is heralding traits of great historical Canadian artists, but paints in his own way," adds Pelham.

Artist use of mixed media is now a popular way to impart more texture, stronger tones, and courageous colour schemes into works. For example, Dieter Schlatter uses a combination of acrylic painting and altered photographic images in his large-format canvases. In a recent piece (shown previous page), the Swiss-born British Columbia resident used black and white film to photograph Banff's iconic Castle Mountain. Edgy, almost graffiti-like painting frames Schlatter's photo collage to create a unique effect.

"Thoughtful, original, well-crafted works continue to be in demand," says Wacko. This is true for art made with modern methods, as well as pieces created using classic techniques.

Artist Robert Genn returns often to Lake O'Hara to capture the light and drama found in these mountain passes, alpine meadows and larch forests. He paints in a manner reminiscent of Group of Seven artists that first came to the Canadian Rockies in the 1920s.

"Since the significance and magic of exceptional traditional paintings has not diminished, many contemporary artists return to the roots of great Canadian landscape art. The art of today can be as stunning and inspirational as those created in the early days -- sometimes even more," says Pelham. Indeed, art that successfully captures timeless peaks remains as popular as ever, whether the interpretation is classic or contemporary.

The best Canadian Rockies art captures the essence of place, and creates an enduring memory from the mountains for those looking to remain in the moment.