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Warner Graves’ Art Exhibit: “Other Worlds”
“The landscapes here have always been a source of inspiration for me,
my work reflects a deep connection to place and history.” Warner
Warner Graves is an artist known for his contemporary take on the rugged beauty of the California desert. Using bold color, broad brush strokes, line and texture and reacting to intuitive impulses, the work unfolds as an exploration of the natural world and its lore. From a vintage stone cabin in Snow Creek, (a small secluded village at the foot of Mt. San Jacinto), Warner creates paintings of simplified and stylized forms to convey the monumentality and spiritual awe of the surrounding desert wilderness. The work is strongly rooted to the various locations in and around the arid regions of California and reflects interest ranging from historic travel posters, the natural sciences, hiking, and getting lost in the desert.
The playful use of color is a direct reference to the Canadian Group of Seven. Local early 20th century artist Agnes Pelton and her associated Taos School of Transcendental Art continues to be a source of inspiration. With the current series Warner hopes the viewer finds the beauty in the depiction of the desert environment but is also challenged to see the natural world not as a static form but as a living entity, imbued with vitality and flux.
This fantastic exhibit will be in the Coso Room through August 24.
