Chasing Light

For the month of May, the Harrison Gallery is exhibiting Chasing Light by Justin Vining, a series of oil landscapes depicting luminous January skies, sun-bathed western mountains, and dappled green forests. 

Justin Vining was taking his daughters to daycare one January morning when the unexpected beauty of the winter sky struck him. The trees were leafless, and the weather was frigid. Impulsively, he pulled out his mobile art studio from the bed of his pickup truck and set it up in the daycare parking lot at eight o’clock a.m. He knew he had to paint it, masterfully capturing the colors, clouds, and unique light of those mornings with quick, confident brushstrokes. His show Chasing Light features many breathtaking skyscapes: thin strips of land and magnificent expanses of sky above. The horizons lead the viewer's gaze upward to contemplate the beautifully textured skies filling the canvases with streaks of blue, purple, and rosy gold from sunrises and sunsets. 

This show marks a departure from Vining's usual style. The experimental style of this show is more impressionistic and uses thick, bold, and vibrant brushstrokes to form highly textured landscapes. Vining emphasizes how fun it was to experiment with and develop this new style. He mentions how the brushstrokes in the skies of some of his paintings looked like sword fighting due to their dynamic energy and vitality. He considered titling his show "Swashbuckling" in reference to this high-energy painting style. 

Chasing Light showcases scenery not only from urban Indianapolis but also from broader Indiana and the western United States. As a traveling plein air artist, Vining always has his supplies ready and available in his truck for spontaneous creation on the road. Multiple pieces feature Brown County State Park–Vining's favorite spot to paint–and its peaceful wooded glades and vibrant red-orange sunrises. Paintings of majestic mountains come from Vining's early-spring trip to Sedona, Arizona, and feature the play of shadow and light on craggy peaks. 

We invite you to see the elusive light of dawn and dusk captured in Justin Vining's most recent body of work. Be inspired to look up–away from our glittering devices for a moment–to the clouds, the stars, and the constant yet dynamic beauty of earth's wondrous sky. Chasing Light can be viewed anytime in the Harrison Gallery through May during Gallery Hours: Monday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The works can be viewed and purchased through June in our online gallery.