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Mark Knudson & Leslie Thomas: The Modern Western Landscape

When: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m. Continues through Feb. 13 2015

There are many ways to view the wondrous natural landscape of Utah, and artists Mark Knudson and Leslie Thomas—husband & wife for more than 10 years—both have unique perspectives. Their painting style borders on photorealism, and their choices in subject and nuances of approach catapult viewers beyond the literal into a sublime artistic experience. Thomas has the more aggressive palette of the two. One can see in an astonishing painting such as "Gray Place II" (pictured) how sharply she renders her line and how ruthlessly she treats light and shadow. In this work, a basalt-like white outcrop is rendered with minute detail in the ridges, lending an unearthly, otherworldly quality to the painting. Knudson does the opposite, presenting viewers with an entirely earthbound experience in the subjects he chooses, though they can be transportive, even ethereal. "Nefertiti" gives an impression of the legendary Egyptian queen carved naturally in stone, set high in a rocky embankment above a ridge like a royal court of red rocks. "Lion in Winter #2" is a long, horizontal plateau, with stripes of snow along the narrow formation, which is set against a telephone wire reaching into the vast distance. "Turn Left at Pace Hill" is another refined painting of rock and sky, with just a touch of something man-made in a yellow road sign that peeks out from the base of the canvas. The atmosphere takes viewers beyond a specific place to somewhere fascinating and imaginative. (Ehren Clark) Mark Knudson and Leslie Thomas: The Modern Western Landscape @ Phillips Gallery, 444 E. 200 South, 801-364-8284, through Feb. 13, free. Phillips-Gallery.com