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This collection of Culp’s work contains not only photographs of her artwork but also interviews and commentaries. Working in southern California, she captures the rocks, mountains, and desert in landscapes of oil, charcoal, and watercolors, which the artist paints on site in sometimes rough circumstances. However, of her desire to work en plein air in harsh territory, she says, “I’m close to the earth, the sky is over me and huge. When painting, my body is very close to the rocks, the landscape is all quite alive.” Her early art education came at a time when abstract expressionism was popular, and one can see this influence in her work. At one with nature in her desert studio, Culp has created a life in an environment that feeds her emotional relationship with the desert and its offerings.
Culp is a gifted interpreter of nature. This book displays her work in such locations as Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and her studio in Anza, California. One can feel the energy and emotion Culp herself feels when faced with the majesty of the desert surroundings. “I just want to see the nature of the beast in front of me, the nature of the creature, the nature of the mountain, the tree, the rock, whatever it is.” Her use of color, texture, and tension renders a breathtaking representation of the mountains and terrain she so loves and certainly portrays the “nature of the beast.” Culp is a gifted artist whose work effectively reflects the emotions evoked by her surroundings, and she deftly captures the life force of the rocks and mountains within her environment. With plenty of information about the author, which helps one understand her motivations and techniques, Culp’s book is both beautiful and educational.
A 2021 Eric Hoffer Book Award Category Finalist
RECOMMENDED by the US Review