To understand one’s relationship with nature is to understand oneself. When was the last time you sat down to contemplate the wondrous things of nature? Have you ever explored your relationship with yourself?

Some answers to these questions can be found Thursday, January 12 at The Marshall Gallery as we showcase works of Shari Lyon, Elena Golberg, and Roger Hayden Johnson.

Albero Sottile

48x36, Encaustic on Panel, Shari Lyon

Shari Lyon is an Arizona native.

Growing up in Gilbert, Shari soon found her love for the arts in high school, but expressed it through dance and theater. It wasn’t until she met her husband Howard, a budding artist at the time, that she would extend her love for art into the visual world, but her path to becoming a full-time artist was anything but smooth sailing.

After a bit of a midlife crisis, I was trying to find myself again after losing myself to many years of being a mother. So, it was time to go back to my creative self. My hubby and I visited a gallery one night, and I came across an encaustic painting for the first time. It brought me to tears. There was so much about the texture and depth that called to me. I just had to try it… and the rest is history.

Shari paints using encaustic techniques, an ancient method of painting that involves mixing hot, melted beeswax and damar resin. Her paintings showcase the beauty of trees and how they connect us to nature. “I love trees. I find that they connect in so many ways with people. So many people, cultures, and religions all find trees important. They represent many different things to people for many reasons.”

Resting in the Woods

60x48, Encaustic on Panel, Shari Lyon

Elena Golberg one would rightly call a child prodigy.

From Barnaul, Siberia, her life as an artist began at an early age, as she attended an art school for gifted children. Growing up and learning from Soviet painters, Elena practiced Russian realistic art and honed her skills teaching art history, painting, drawing, composition, and sculpture for many years.

2004 marked the year Elena would make one of the biggest changes to both her life and career. Elena packed everything up and traveled all the way from the Siberian tundra to our Southwest desert to find her new home here in Arizona. As she found her way in the vast desert landscape, Elena began to capture the colossal beauty of the mighty Saguaro in her paintings. She says:

The Saguaro is a most interesting forms of life that intrigues people. From a distance, its stance appears almost human-like. But up close, the sunlight may turn it into a dazzling sword. For desert inhabitants, the saguaro becomes a bridge between earth and sky. An ant crawls upward and along an immense arm to eventually find itself aloft and surrounded by the big sky.

In her paintings, Elena brings a new focus to our Southwest landscape. Contrary to perceptions of those unfamiliar with our living desert, it is not a barren sea of sand and soil but abundant and teeming with life. Elena emphasizes the majesty of the desert. Her unabashed use of color and perspective emphasizes the commanding presence of the evergreen giant. Vivid greens, reds, and blues conspire with flattering earth tones in an insatiable indulgence for the eyes and spirit.

Moon Ray

72x36, Oil on Canvas, Elena Golberg

Roger Hayden Johnson has practiced art for as long as he can remember.

He grew up on a small farm in Iowa, where he taught himself to paint the surrounding landscapes after receiving his first set of oil paints at age 10. The boy daringly took his precocious love for painting all the way to the University of Iowa, where he earned a master’s degree in art and art history. He continued at Drake University and earned a MFA degree in drawing and painting.

Roger’s current subject of choice captures the “Serenity of objects adrift on still waters – via their many facets and colors.” As with all art, his muse is intended to awaken our inner sensitivities and feelings. Boats resting on fanciful expanses of water allow viewers to contemplate moods conveyed by his conscious compositions and assiduous use of color.

Calm and relaxing, Roger’s beautiful paintings create a serenity of form and structure. Stylized details of boats afloat on imaginary seas elicit striking narratives between the painting and the viewer. One’s innate connection to nature and tranquility are ever present in Roger’s paintings.

Out of the Blue

22x36, Oil on Canvas, Roger Hayden Johnson