Artwork copyright Bob Leader. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.

Artwork copyright Bob Leader. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.

Artwork copyright Bob Leader. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Sinopah, 1982

Bob Leader
American (born 1952, died 2009)

Location: Summit Trail Middle School, Ravensdale

About the Artwork

Artist Bob Leader painted Sinopah after hiking in Glacier National Park, Montana, in summer. The title refers to the name of a local mountain, that rises up next to Two Medicine Lake. He notes, "From the lake level it stands out like a huge pyramidal monolith, but as one climbs the walls of the valley, you begin to see that this 'mountain' is just the small end of a gigantic ridge. To get this view I climbed a half mile up above the east end of the lake and spent the months of late June, July and part of August working in the morning. Sinopah is a magical form full of colors one usually does not associate with stone."

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

About the Artist

Montana-based artist and musician Bob Leader (1952-2009) created paintings of the western landscape. Born in Pullman, he grew up in Eastern Washington. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1976. In the 1980s, he served as an instructor at Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana.