James Lavadour

The Ghosts of Many Things

Having grown up in the foothills of the Blue Mountains on the Umatilla Reservation, James Lavadour is deeply connected to the natural world around him and pays close attention to what can be learned from the environment. The self-taught artist aims to capture the dynamic formation of the landscape through various painting techniques. He writes, “in paint there is hydrology, erosion, mass gravity, mineral deposits, etc.; in me there is fire, energy, force, movement, dimension, and reflective awareness.” For The Ghosts of Many Things, Lavadour used translucent glazes and processes of layering, scraping, and wiping to create an expressive multi-panel piece that is rich in color, strikes a balance between serenity and optical vibration, and reflects a larger network that encompasses nature, humanity, and time.