Lindsay Jane Ternes

I paint the places that make me feel most alive. My work is rooted in the mountains and landscapes of the American West- in dramatic light moving across a peak, the electric color of an alpine sunset, a stand of aspens glowing in fall, or the familiar rhythm of a day spent on skis. I’m drawn to moments when the landscape seems to turn up its own volume, and my paintings do the same: pushing color, contrast, shape, and light beyond literal representation to capture how a place felt to experience. As a Boulder-based fine artist and plein air painter, I spend much of my time outside, painting directly from life in every season. Plein air painting has taught me to look quickly and deeply- to notice shifting light, unexpected color, and the essential shapes that give a landscape its character. Those studies and experiences become the foundation for larger studio paintings, where memory and observation have room to become something more expressive. I’m not interested in simply documenting a beautiful view. I want to capture the exhilaration of being there: cold air in my lungs, sun on my face, skis beneath my feet, or the sudden awe of watching light transform a landscape I thought I already knew. Every painting carries a piece of an adventure and my gratitude for this extraordinary part of the world. When one leaves my studio, my hope is that it does more than remind someone of a place they love. I hope it brings that same energy, joy, and peace into the life happening around it.