Jared Hankins
Artist Statement
Inspired by some recent documentaries on big mountain skiers and mountaineers, I began to think through how I would approach a mountain series. As I researched imaging, I was surprised that I could not find decent art painted from a skiers perspective or the aspects of the mountain that my friends and I ski. Most mountain-scapes tend to be vague landscapes with the mountain as a backdrop from an onlooker’s perspective, not from a participant. I use early black and white imaging of the American West as inspiration for capturing the gritty, timeless quality of these peaks. By adding subtle tone and a more contemporary composition, I hope to pay homage all of the explorers and ski industry innovators that have made these mountains accessible.