On the Range: Works by Terry Spehar-Fahey

In this exhibition, Terry Spehar-Fahey introduces audiences to ranching families of the Pahsimeroi Valley in Idaho. She collaborated with photographer Kirstie Lambert who lives part-time in Ventura, California and part-time in Idaho, where she documents contemporary ranching life.

Spehar-Fahey says, “Throughout my career as a watercolorist, though the subject matter has changed, I always sought to create a sense of space and light, of how we see, for the viewer. My paintings are not duplicates of the photographs, as the camera can see every aspect of the world with the same resolution. A camera can give you a better sense of vision with a short focal length, but it still only looks at the world with one eye. In my paintings, I focus on some aspects in detail and blur out other areas on purpose. I hope this gives the viewer that sense that you are standing there looking, as if you were there.”

Terry Spehar-Fahey is a retired senior lecturer of art from Cal Lutheran. She works primarily in watercolor and has taught watercolor along with a variety of courses including Art and Psychology, Visual Art in Education, Drawing and co-led two courses with a colleague: ComicComm and Imagining Venice.

The Kwan Fong Gallery is open by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact gallery@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3697.

Image: Terry Spehar-Fahey, Dana’s Herd, watercolor on Arches 156 lb CP paper, 28 x 48 inches unframed, courtesy of the artist.