After several years of making paintings based on Thomas Moran’s trips west, namely with the John Wesley Powell expedition, I am more than excited to be joining such an amazing crew of artists, scientists, writers, geographers, lawyers, educators and the like on an expedition through that same watershed nearly 150 years later. As a Utahan and a Westerner my world has been shaped by John Wesley Powell and, as an artist, Moran’s paintings from that era have become iconic symbols of that very world. All that said, the Colorado river watershed has changed since Powell and Moran. Yet, artifacts of the Manifest Destiny that they helped promote are still visible in every corner. Although the paintings in my Re-Manifesting Destiny series have tackled these issues for the past several years, I have never actually floated the river! This is my chance to really see things as Moran and Powell did. To see what remains of that history, and see what has manifested since then. I truly can’t wait!
Moran's Path - Erika Osborne
