Lynn Boggess

Lynn Boggess is a plein air landscape painter who grew up on a farm near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Growing up in such a rural area allowed Boggess to roam creek beds and hillsides as a child. He received a BA in Art Education from Fairmont State College in 1978 and an MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1980. From 1990 through 2007, Boggess was a Professor of Art at Fairmont State College, where he spent years exploring phenomenology and metaphysics in art. Between the years of 1979 and 2000, the artist experimented with a variety of styles, from minimalist abstraction to postmodern-layered imagery. However, during a break from the studio one day in 2000, Boggess decided to go outside to create some nature studies. He picked up a cement trowel on a whim, which then led to an entire summer of artistic exercises. His goal that summer was to create 100 small paintings to see where his new process would take him. Once those 100 paintings were complete, what began as a diversion became an obsession.

As he mastered the process, metaphysical theories associated with his abstract work resurfaced, and the possibilities of texture in the work were fully realized. He was drawn to broken trees, wind-swept rubble, great boulders, and flood water. As the paintings have become larger, the discipline of being present continues. The work is created in all kinds of weather and on all types of terrain. Lynn works the surface as if he is digging, trying to form something out of the earth itself. He covers layer after layer, then removes and adds paint in large sweeps and rough scratches.

To those who have an appreciation for the natural world, there is a purity in the subject, which denies all references to human interference. Art historians appreciate his references to Impressionism, nineteenth century realism, and twentieth century abstract expressionism. Contemporary theorists enjoy the relevance of the work as it relates to recent discussions about the nature of reality and place, as well as the tension between surface and illusion. Natives of Appalachia experience a strong jolt of memory. Nearly everyone who has walked on a hillside or stood in a wooded grove can hear, smell, and feel the place where the artist stood.

Click here to read our interview with Lynn Boggess!