Batholith

SOLD

60” x 48” x 2.5”

Oil, acrylic, and gouache on canvas

Idaho is home to hundreds of natural hot springs, more than any other state in the US. One condition that contributes to this fact is the presence of the Idaho Batholith – a geologic formation on the surface of over 15,000 miles of Idaho land that is the result of millions of years of tectonic plate collisions. The collisions resulted in lots of fissures in the granitic batholith and underlying geology which allow for the escape of geothermal heat to the surface and voila, hot springs. I have been to the springs depicted in Batholith in the winter. Soaking in the clear, steaming waters framed by the rich colors of the wet granite batholith was extremely luxurious as winter erupted out on all sides from the edge of the spring. The sustaining waters were the exact opposite of the expansive quiet, oppressive cold, and completely unsaturated palette of the drained landscape beyond. It felt for a time like these springs were the only place in the world that life could exist. The painting is a meditation on the miracle of these places and the perplexing reality that heat can be such a soothing balm on the surface of a planet choking on too much of a good thing.

This painting is part of my exhibition “Hothouse” at Space Gallery in Denver, CO. Please direct purchase inquiries to the gallery at art@spacegallery.org or (303) 993-3321.