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PrintMaking the Whole Work
Victor painter masters the use of light and color as he creates and teaches
original painting by Scott Christensen
(page 1 of 2)
Tucked away in Victor, Idaho, near the shadows of the Snake River Range, a handful of buildings represents the study of color and light. Within one of them, students listen with rapt attention as they seek to apply what they are learning to their canvasses. In another Craftsman-style structure, oil paintings hang in quiet suspense, waiting for someone to gaze upon them next. In a large room within this space, Scott Christensen works to hone his craft. This is the Christensen Studio, a place where one can view the works of an artist renowned internationally both as a plein air painter and as an art instructor. His medium is oil, and his inspiration lies in the vastness of nature.
A Wyoming native, Christensen was represented heavily by the gallery system early in his career. The Legacy Gallery in Jackson Hole played a pivotal role in moving his art. He made a name for himself not only as a painter but also as an instructor who often traveled to teach. Six years ago, he purchased the Victor property on which his studio now sits. He employed a friend to build it, and it was complete in five months.
“The light coming from the north sold me on this location,” Scott says. His studio is flush with this natural light, as he works with the pure pigment paints that build his art. “Also, I get to watch fish feed every morning on my deck while I drink my coffee.”
Why Teton Valley? “I came here to slow the pace down,” he says. “There is a certain pace in the art world, especially on the gallery side of things, where you have to keep up. I don’t do my best work at that pace. I am working more than I used to, but the timing is my own.”
