Artist: Lavadour, James

The work of James Lavadour is deeply rooted in the landscapes of eastern Oregon. He grew up in the foothills of the Blue Mountains on the Umatilla Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon. An avid hiker, Lavadour’s connection to this geography is reflected in the slow, labor-intensive processes he undertakes in his paintings and prints, a vehicle to mimic time molding landscape. Lavadour favors translucent glazes, which leave hints of each preceding layer, juxtaposing vivid color with subdued passages. Lavadour is largely self-trained and has been exhibiting his artworks for more than four decades. His 1990 residency at the Brodsky Center inspired him to found Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts in 1992. Crow’s Shadow is an artist-in-residence program, and the only professional fine art print publisher located on a Native American reservation in the United States. Located in the same area where Lavadour grew up, Crow’s Shadow enjoys the same formative vistas and inspiring quietude that propels Lavadour’s studio practice.