Trees

James Lavadour lives on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon.  He is part Walla Walla Indian.  In many of his landscapes, the earth itself seems to come alive. Because he is a Native American, it's easy to assume he is calling upon those traditions of earth and spirits in his paintings.  But he also is fluent in the traditions of contemporary art making.  The cross-fertilization adds strength to his work.  The act of painting ignites a reflective faculty in me that lets me see and learn from the raw event. –Artist statement