Blush of Summer

A hillside of wildflowers and tall grasses stretches across this cheerful summer scene by Conrad Schwiering, an American painter who made his home in the shadow of the Tetons in Wyoming. Pink blooms scatter through fields of yellow and green, catching the light so brightly that the whole meadow seems to hum with warmth. A weathered wooden fence and a row of trees mark the top of the slope, keeping the eye rooted in the wide open country that Schwiering knew and loved.

Painted in a loose, impressionistic way, the canvas is covered in quick dabs and thick strokes of color that sit side by side rather than melting together. That approach gives the grass a flickering, shimmering quality, almost like it is swaying in a breeze. Schwiering built his reputation on scenes just like this one, returning again and again to the mountain West and its shifting seasons. "Blush of Summer" is a modest subject painted with real affection, a bright and easygoing glimpse of a warm afternoon in the high country.