LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Art can say a lot – without a word. A new art exhibit at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art tells the story of one of the west’s most powerful characters, the Colorado River, and how the world and people around the river affect it.
One of the artists featured in this exhibit, Noelle Phares, knows it is a big subject, but she said she thrives on a good challenge.
“There are just infinite angles from which to approach this work,” Phares said as she worked on a painting of Lake Powell. “I want to be learning whenever I’m working, which means pushing myself to do something different.”
The show is called “Tracking Time,” and Phares is painting multiple pieces that show different locations along the Colorado River. Some of the locations are well known, like Lake Powell, and some people might not have heard about. All contribute to the story of the river that flows through seven states to 40 million people.
“The Colorado River, it’s the river in the area,” Phares said. “You can’t live in the west without being touched by it.”
Phares road tripped around the west and chose seven locations along the river to help tell its story. She had expert advice figuring out which places were important.
“My twin sister has a PhD in hydrology,” Phares said, laughing.
"Tracking Time" along the Colorado River
Phares knows a little about science herself. She has an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, followed by a master’s in environmental policy and management. She worked as a scientific project manager, but decided it was not the right job for her.
“I just got fed up with being inside all day at a computer or a lab bench,” Phares said. “I’d been a hobby painter before then, but I knew that I had pretty undeniable creative spirit.”
She quit her job and gave art a chance.
“As a kid I always had this vision of myself in overalls covered in paint in a studio, painting every day,” Phares said, pointing out her overalls that day were not covered in paint – yet.
Seven years after she quit that job, she is a successful artist who mixes what she calls her science nerd self with her artistic self. The result are paintings that focus on how civilization affects the natural world around it.
“I want to remind people what’s at stake. That’s the core of all of my work. I use beauty to do that,” Phares said. “Beauty has always been a tool to get people’s attention, and I think focusing on painting these subjectively beautiful depictions of the river is just one way to just get people to look closer at how reliant they are on it.”
With “Tracking Time,” she said the work has been different than what she is used to because she usually does not just pick one place. She said she is excited about the museum show that opens May 23, 2024.
“There is a lot at stake when with thing about limiting our water use, so that there is water in that river for their kids to be able see those place,” Phares said. “It’s about maintaining water availability, but also beautiful wild places for our children.
“I got to spend three weeks rafting the Grand Canyon," she said. "And I want my daughter to be able to do that too.”
“Tracking Time” opens May 23, 2024, and runs through September 2, 2024, at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. Phares’ work will be featured alongside artist Chelsea Kaiah.
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