Artwork copyright James Lavadour. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1987.

Artwork copyright James Lavadour. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1987.

Artwork copyright James Lavadour. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1987.

Artwork copyright Kay WalkingStick. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2023.

Artwork copyright Rick Bartow. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2023.

The Fog that Lives in the Ground, 1987

James Lavadour
(American | Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, born 1951)

Location: Washington State University, Pullman

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The two-panel, expressive landscape painting The Fog that Lives in the Ground is part of a larger series that artist James Lavadour notes explore "transfiguration of nature, the going from one state to another, the surface observation and the inner perception."

This artwork is part of Beyond Blue Mountains, a collection that was curated by late Tlingit (Native Alaskan) artist Jim Schoppert. It presents the work of Native American artists of diverse heritage, ideas, materials, and styles. The collection takes an in-depth look at the artists’ unique voices and interpretations of tradition.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Department of Corrections.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

James Lavadour (Walla Walla) creates expressive paintings and prints that are deeply influenced by the natural environment and geology of Northeast Oregon. He grew up in the foothills of the Blue Mountains on the Umatilla Reservation near Pendleton, Northeast Oregon, and is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla. In his own words, "Everything that is in the land is in me... My art education came from the land. I learned through endless walking, looking, hearing, and feeling the natural world around me." Lavadour has been making artwork for more than four decades.

In 1992, Lavadour co-founded Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts, a non-profit organization and printmaking studio on the Umatilla Reservation, near Pendleton, Oregon. The institute provides artist residencies and Indigenous arts workshops. Crow’s Shadow is the only professional fine art print publisher located on a Native American reservation in the United States.