By Melissa Wagoner
Coming off a pilgrimage for peace, in which the artist attempted to run across the United States, Peace felt he needed a change of pace – literally. And so, he hopped on his bike and headed out.
“I decided, I’m not going to run anymore, I’m going to paint,” Peace recalled. “So, I put out to the universe – where should I go? And I heard a resounding voice say, ‘Go to Silver Falls.’”
Showing up completely unannounced, Peace was in luck that year to find previous Park Manager Kevin Strandberg in his office and amenable to his terms, which earned Peace, in exchange for his work, a place to stay.
“I painted a painting of South Falls that’s in the Lodge now,” Peace said of that first year’s project, which required him to
haul a baby stroller full of canvasses and supplies down the steep trail, rain or shine.
But more importantly, he wanted others – especially those who could not physically make their own way into the canyon – to have the experience as well.
“The next year, the manager of the Conference Center wanted everything to look like a photograph,” Peace said of his
second experience in which he painted a host of scenes for the Conference Center’s walls.
Now, five years into his tenure at the park, he has just completed two of the most challenging paintings he’s ever created.
“I’ve been here since Jan. 20,” Peace said. He was given residence at the Silver Falls Conference Center during the project. Adding, “To put two paintings out in that time was a bit of a stretch.”
“It’s 11,000 square inches of canvas,” Peace said. “It’s been very pushing.”
Utilizing few photographs for reference, Peace relied upon his own visualization and imagination to create the scenes, especially when it came to the bobcat and beaver.
“They’re the two animals I’ve seen here all winter,” Peace noted. “I’ve been tracking them the whole time.”
He was also observing the life cycle of trees, which features prominently – though much more subtly – in both paintings.
“It’s always difficult because you’re putting it out there forever,” Peace said of the desire to make certain each painting is deserving of its place in one of the most popular state parks in Oregon.
It’s a lot of pressure but surrounded by the beauty of nature it’s an artist’s paradise and there’s no place he’d rather be.
MELISSA WAGONER
