Prairie Town

In this large oil painting by Peter von Tiesenhausen, a sliver of sun begins to break through the billowing clouds that cover the sky above the rural road. The blues of the clouds, contrasted with the vibrant greens and gold of the road and fields, are brought to life by von Tiesenhausen’s prairie staple – energized brush work combined with serene composition. 

Before making a transition from painting to sculpture, von Tiesenhausen described himself and his work as ​“typical rural Albertan, very conservative”, and remarks that he had a difficult time becoming engaged with contemporary art until his isolation allowed himself to make a lot of mistakes. His early paintings take form from his perception of the land, forests, and sky of rural Alberta. 

Speaking to his works, von Thiesenhausen says, ​“my paintings are about my environment and the feelings I get from it. They are about being alive and knowing it. They are about what nature has given me, and what I understand better than anything else in this world.”