Show Preview | Sandra Pratt

Abend Gallery in Denver lays claim to representing fine artists from every inhabited continent. Yet in its latest solo exhibition, Elegant Spaces, for artist Sandra Pratt, it feels as if the artist is representing a vibrant corner we have yet to discover.

A working artist for the past 20 years, Pratt considers herself a different style of painter. “There are many different ways of painting. I like to use and make up new ones,” she says. Inspiration, for her, lies around every mountainside. Everywhere one looks, there’s landscape to be painted; every barn and sun-weathered house is a subject calling.

“I currently live in the mountains and the quietude and peacefulness are crucial for my work,” says Pratt.

The central cast member in all her work is not the landscape itself, but the tool that brings it to life: the palette knife. Her impasto style creates a strong visual effect rooted in her distinctive knife work. “I want it to be a strong, simple, yet elegant painting,” Pratt says. It’s the immediacy of the knife—the ability to produce something compelling in just a few strokes—that captivates her. “There is a lot of control and patience that needs to be learned to use it effectively,” she explains. “It has to be done perfectly in one stroke, one after another. And it has to look effortless.”

Pratt prefers an all-at-once approach to her work—no glazing or layering—often completing a painting in just one sitting. “Creating a painting in one session gives it an alive brightness,” she says, “and with that kind of paint handling, going back isn’t really an option, as the paint dries differently in different sections.”

In many works for Elegant Spaces, silent and still buildings take a stand amidst the landscape—almost in portraiture. She calls these buildings survivors, weathering decades of storms, sun and neglect, yet still standing with dignity. “Abandoned barns especially fascinate me because they represent dreams and hard work from past generations,” she notes.

“I like to create a mood with colors,” she says—and that mood is deliberate, with each painting employing a tight, focused selection of hues. “I will never put down a color I don’t personally like,” she explains. “And each painting has its own emotional temperature. Sometimes that’s all cool grays and sage greens for reflection, other times it’s burnt oranges and deep reds for drama.”

For the Abend Gallery show, Pratt says her selected works focus on structures that “refuse to surrender.” Barns, neglected mine buildings and forgotten homesteads appear spread across canvas in emotive layers—a discovery waiting to happen. —Doreen Manning

contact information(303) 355-0950abendgallery.com

This story appeared in the October/November 2025 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.

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