100 Views into the Pure Land is an exhibition of oil paintings completed between 2021 and 2023 that will take you on a journey through time and space for your own contemplations. Wide-ranging artistic, historic, cultural, ritual, spiritual, and geographic influences collide in an unfolding story of learning techniques, practicing meditations, taking adventures, and speaking love and life.

**Updating the story daily until the official exhibition launch 12/10/2023 - Pescador Khan

As a geographic historian by trade, the landscapes that have shaped human history naturally intrigue me and are a central subject to my artistic endeavors. However, this exploration has been inspired by the idea of creating one pure expression while practicing wabi-sabi. Paintings in this series were produced during meditative sessions reflecting on the experiences and people of my explorations and pilgrimages around. 

Cultures across the world understand its diverse colors differently. Perspectives vary as greatly as there are colors. However, at their root, colors are just red, blue, yellow, and light. Van Gogh sought the light of the South of France, Provence, to gain a new impression. While I have lived in some remarkably colorful places that have inspired great artists to have great explorations of color in their art, the seasonal colors of the Cache la Poudre have been my "Provence". Throughout each day the sun, landscape, and atmosphere play with each other prodding endless impressions to share. 

During a pilgrimage up the Durance River Valley in 2022, Deja Vu was the reflection of the journey. In paintings and dreams, the river valley and mountain peaks and people of the Durance sparked distant memories and forged new dreams. On a nightly wander I happened across a play in a park, J'ai Peur Quand la Nuit Sombre (I'm scared when the night goes dark), a dreamy story of love, temptations, anger, regret, and remorse; all the emotions that bring on and ease great sufferings. While many lands have sparked my inspiration, the Durance reminded me to embrace the night and its feared darkness to share the beauty of that unknown.  

The Rocky Mountains, where my marathon goes. Your unforgiving peaks and lifeline rivers. Your mighty pines and weeping willows. Your power to change the atmosphere or a life on first sight. For over 10,000 years you have provided for people and inspired them, gaining yourselves great reverence among the many people that have called you home. Your mighty rivers have connected people near to people a world away where other ranges and rivers gain great fame. Throughout my life, the Rocky Mountains have provided me with what I needed to live and be inspired to set out into the unknown. Now I wish to honor those who came before, and are still here, and share my love for:

3óoxoné’ noho’óooyóó’. 

After returning from my pilgrimage to Mt. Hiei I set forth to define my marathon paths to walk around the Gunnison Country. One trail, I loved to hike from before my journey because of its straightforward altitude gain, the Ridgeline Trail to Signal Pike became my go-to marathon practice. The brutality of the trail is that there was always "one more hill" to hike up before the peak, with the last two being the toughest. However, on top of Signal Peak, a 360-degree view of a miraculous valley in the heart of 3óoxoné’ noho’óooyóó’ can be seen, living on in awe to be inspired and find peace. While the struggle is hard, the journey is worth it and easiest with timeless contemplation.

Two days after attaining my second Masters, I returned on a pilgrimage to France where I gained great inspiration for the next path of my life. Landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport, I traveled by foot, bus, and train to Paris, Vernon, Giverny, Gisors, Pontoise, Auvers Sur Oise, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Gap, Mont Dauphin, Embrun,  Briançon, Marseille, and Arles then flew out from the Aéroport Marseille-Provence. A Tour de France pilgrimage in the footsteps of Van Gogh and Monet guided me to Cézanne, Rothko, Nicole Eisenman, and Arthur Jafa among too many others to mention here, despite their value to my journey. Exhibitions by Eisenman and Jafa and Monet/Rothko provided transformative inspirations for the following series that reflects on the wonderful people I connected with in the communities I passed through on pilgrimage.