IN THE FIELD

EILEEN GUERNSEY BROWN / KIM GORDON / WENDY HACKING / CAROL JOHANSEN

September 29, 2024 – May 2025
On view at Snow College Karen H. Hunstman Library

In The Field is a group exhibition featuring plein air works by a group of Sanpete Valley artists who have been routinely painting together for many years.

Header image: oil painting by Eileen Guernsey Brown

"Plein air" is derived from the French term meaning "out of doors”. Artists immerse themselves in the vibrant landscapes of pastoral farmland, tranquil mountains, and bustling urban environments, capturing the essence of a scene by harnessing natural light, color, and movement. Each painting embodies not just what the artist sees, but also what the artist feels as they engage with the world around them. Artists contend with shifting light, and the unpredictability of the elements, all while navigating the presence of onlookers. They make intentional choices — whether to stand or sit, to capture a bustling urban moment or a serene rural scene, and whether to create a quick study or a fully realized painting. 

 Plein air painting is a time-honored tradition in the Sanpete Valley region. Painting as a group, these artists join in the camaraderie that comes from working alongside one another, sharing insights, critiquing each other's work, and enjoying shared company while creating in the field.  

About the Artists

Eileen Guernsey Brown
Growing up in Southern California at the base of the San Gabriel mountains and just 45 minutes from the ocean, Eileen always had an interest in the outdoors and creating art. She moved to Salt Lake City and received a fine arts degree in Graphic Design from the University of Utah, then a decade later earned a degree in Education, teaching for 27 years. Married with two adult children, Eileen divides her time between family, art, hiking, working and relaxing at their historic Spring City property, and traveling to scenic locations around the west with her husband in their restored 1975 “Argosy” Airstream.

Eileen is an oil painter who is active and enjoys spending time outdoors, usually combining her painting with a river trip, hiking or camping -- somewhere in the west.Earning a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Utah, Eileen worked for a decade as a freelance design artist. Later received a BA in Education and taught in the Salt Lake School district for many years, the last ten as a middle school art teacher.

Eileen has continued her education by studying with other artists she admires, such as John Poon, Jill Carver, Ray Roberts, and Eric Jacobsen. Her work can be found in several Utah galleries:  Relics Gallery (Salt Lake City), Spring City Art Gallery (Spring City) and Artisans  (Cedar City), and in private collections throughout the United States.

Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon is a Utah based artist working in watercolor, drawing, and oil. Her work is currently showing at the Spring City Art Gallery and she has exhibited work at Snow College Art Gallery, Springville Museum of Art, and the Sego 3 Gallery. Kim paints regularly with a local plein air society in Sanpete County, teaches watercolor workshops and classes through Snow College. Born in Arizona and raised in Colorado, Gordon earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art Education from Utah State University, and an Associate of Arts degree from Snow College. She currently teaches drawing and design at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah where she resides with her family and paints the beauty and heritage of Sanpete County.

Wendy Hacking
Wendy Hacking is a local artist currently living in Mount Pleasant. She enjoys painting a variety of subjects and using all paint mediums. Wendy has been painting for about 20 years and has been teaching watercolor, oil, and acrylic painting locally for the last 5 years. She finds inspiration in her love for nature, living rural, and farm life. Her paintings highlight ordinary places and things unique to where she has traveled, and where she lives. Wendy and a group of fellow artists formed an arts council called the North Sanpete Arts Council in 2016. This volunteer council hosts art shows and workshops in their gallery ( Hub City Gallery ) located in Mount Pleasant.

Carol Johansen
Carol Johansen is an award winning artist who explores the space and rhythm of her surroundings employing strokes of expressive color. Carol prefers to paint directly from life. She paints full time en plein air of scenes filled with the ever changing landscape from daylight to dark. In winter she captures resplendent snowscapes, figurative, and still life works, at times utilizing reference photos. She specializes in creating unique dramatic oil paintings of skies, capturing moments of zen.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Carol Johansen married her high school sweetheart and raised six children in the beautiful Sanpete Valley of rural central Utah. Carol graduated with a Bachelor Degree from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. She divides her time between Utah and Idaho traveling and painting extensively throughout the West.