New eyes on the Southwest

When artists began to explore the West in the 1850s, few did it better or more memorably than the fine landscape painters of the Hudson River School. In a continuation of that tradition, three contemporary artists from the Catskill Mountains of New York turned their talents to painting the Southwest, and are showing their work at the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Judy Abbott, K.L. McKenna, and Eva van Rijn each contributed 12 paintings to "Painted Journeys on the Colorado Plateau," an exhibit that opened recently at the museum and continues through May. The experiment is a product of the museum's 2007 artist-in-residence program, and each spent three weeks in the region.

Abbott's paintings are realistic, revealing numerous details that convey the uniqueness of each place.

McKenna's work is the most abstract of the three, using expressionistic colors and landscape shapes to present his vision.

Van Rijn, a relative of the greatest Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn, is a symbolist whose depictions use atmospheric depth and subtle color ranges.

The Museum of Northern Arizona, in Flagstaff, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Museum admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for students, and $4 for children 7-17. More information can be found at musnaz.org or (928) 774-5213.