Artwork copyright Karran West. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1985.

Artwork copyright Karran West. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

The Pink Hotel, 1983

Karran West
American (born 1953)

Location: East Valley High School, Spokane

About the Artwork

Artist Karran West created the painting The Pink Hotel based on sketches from her travels in Mexico. It is an example of her paintings featuring a vivid border. She notes, "Contained inside the border is an interior space that creates depth and gives a way through to an escape. I wanted to convey a feeling of the stark contrasts of Mexico. I wanted to combine organic natural shapes of the jungle landscape with the shapes of the buildings. The color intensity and my color choices help to remind me of cool afternoons in the heat of a siesta."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with East Valley School District, Spokane.

About the Artist

Karran West is an artist and illustrator who creates watercolor and pen-and-ink artworks. She graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1976. She has worked as a letterpress printer and typographer at Spring Valley Press on Whidbey Island, Northwestern Washington, where she lives.