The Distance of Horizon

Abstract

“Open Space” is a phrase that describes both an idea and a particular juxtaposition of earth and sky, a state of mind and a state of being. This work addresses several questions about this idea. How is open space experienced, particularly in landscapes such as The Great Plains or the Mongolian steppe? How can the distance between the external, physical landscape of the earth and the internal, intricate landscape of the human mind be understood? How can this understanding be expressed in visual artistic form? How can the personal experience of the artist that is implicitly tied to space, time, place, and scale be recreated and extended so that others can experience it? Personal experiences and memories of growing up in Nebraska, working as a truck driver on The Great Plains, and a journey to the Mongolian steppe are all explored in this work. The reaction to both interior and exterior open space and landscape are investigated with these personal narratives as the starting point. It is shown how the openness of landscapes can cause one to travel to the smallest and most segmented of places, and then journey back out again. This work also presents other artist’s responses to openness and vastness. It addresses how the simplicity and complexity of openness as experienced in landscape can be expressed visually and extended from the personal to the universal.