Artwork copyright Robert Connell. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Columbia River Near Lyle, 1999

Robert Connell
American (born 1947)

Location: Carmichael Middle School, Richland

About the Artwork

The Columbia River Near Lyle by artist Robert Connell is part of a series of landscape paintings of the Columbia River Gorge. Connell started the painting on location, using Japanese sumi ink. After bringing the painting into his studio, he added color by layering gouache paint with a printmaking brayer or roller. Connell uses the negative space created by the unpainted paper to imply water and sky. This technique brings together realistic and abstract elements in his compositions. Connell notes, “I see the Northwest Landscape as different levels of black shadows. On an overcast day there is very little color in the landscape, basically black shapes against a white sky.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Richland School District.

About the Artist

Robert Connell is a Seattle-base artist whose landscape paintings are characterized by his use of Japanese Sumi ink to emphasize positive and negative space. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1970.