Beyond and Away

Frances Gearhart

Beyond and Away is example of Gearhart’s favorite subjects: the landscape of the Western United States. Here she created the illusion of a vast landscape by framing the image with large, darkly outlined trees thus forcing the viewer to look beyond. From a mountainside, the landscape steps downward to a cultivated orchard flanked by tall trees which then drops into a flat plain of greenery and trees. The changing colors of the lilac-colored clouds create the sense of infinity. Gearhart used a linoleum key-block, printed with black oil-based ink, to create most of the linear elements for this landscape and then hand brushed color on a tone block. As a result of this direct approach, each impression will vary in color to some degree.