Terry Gardner

Modern Paintings Of The American West

I am an oil painter living and working in Morrison, Colorado. I paint what moves me, and by some chance it may move others. What feeds my soul and the work that follows is all about the land, from the high plains to mountain woodlands. The expansive ecosystems of the American west are a gift.
I try to give back.

Arboraceous and the pursuit of painting trees.

“Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree -
he wants to be nothing except what he is.” HermanHesse

Fractality is a property of objects that exhibit self-similarity at different scales. This means that if you zoom in or out on a fractal object, you'll see patterns that are similar to the original object. The branching patterns of trees exhibit self-similarities, with smaller branches having the same structure as larger ones. Fractality does not exist only in our external world. Fractality offers a fascinating perspective on the complexity and interconnectedness of our biological, social, and cognitive systems. Our problem-solving strategies often involve breaking down complex problems into smaller, more manageable subproblems, which can be seen as a fractal-like approach. Small, repetitive actions, like drawing and painting, form habits. These habits, when repeated consistently, become larger patterns of behavior. The fractal works seen here are a result of painting and observing trees for years, and they come from the soul, philosophy visualized. These large life forms have shaped what’s in me and what comes out of me.

Trees and Me

What a work of art creates is some new perspective, some new idea, some new thought crystallized into physical form and inserted into the public sphere. Lucky individuals make a sudden leap past their previous work and produce something new and original. It’s not an incremental improvement over their past work, it is something never before seen. The artist is alive and exercising courage to create.

Life In The West

Through decades of dramatic change one staple of the American West, the working ranches and those in the saddle, has remained constant. Ranch life has endured physically and in spirit for two centuries, always with good intention, yet evolving with environmental challenges. The west is a way of life that offers reinvention, possibilities, and hope. And while there are many assumptions made when one where’s a cowboy hat, there is so much more to the story.

Cowboy Hat 1 - 12” x 12” — Cowboy Hat 1 12 x 12

Cowboy Hat 4 - 12” x 12” — Cowboy Hat 4 12 x 12

Cowgirl In Pink - 12” x 12” — Cowgirl In Pink 12 x 12

Cowboy Hat 2 - 12” x 12” — Cowboy Hat 2 12 x 12

Crows

These cerebral birds have a lot more in common with us than we ever imagined. They’re smart, crafty, and inquisitive. They can adapt to a variety of habitats. Few birds stir up as much emotion as the crow.

Older Works

The human debt to trees is absolute. In short, without trees our species would not have come into being. Strong, graceful, and majestic, they never disappoint. Trees are the Earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heavens. If we take care of trees, they will take care of us.

Drawings

Drawings are the seeds of inventions. These experiments feed the process and the eventual paintings. Careful renderings are met with expressive gestures, giving it depth and mystery. It is a balance of opposites, subjective and objective.

Cowgirl In The Sun - 8” x 11” [charcoal]

Please visit and follow my Instagram @terrygardnerpaintings