Downriver: Wanderings Through the Grand Canyon with Lauren Sarantopulos

Events
Exhibiting | November 5 - 27th, 2021
Pre-Sale | Online 10% off only, November 4th, 3pm PST
Virtual Opening | Friday, November 5th, 5:30pm PST, Facebook Live
Opening Reception | Friday, November 5th, 6:00-9:00pm PST
Artist talk on Instagram Live @the_heartbox, November 11th, 3pm PST

Downriver Wanderings Through the Grand Canyon
Standing from the rim of the Grand Canyon, ancient bands of rock seem to stretch for endless miles into the heart of the earth. Deep within these crimson walls, I find myself on the back of the Colorado: a tranquil, yet powerful ribbon of green and blue. Coming back to the water feels like coming home, and there is truly no place else like the Grand. I find as the river pushes you deeper into the canyon, it is also pushing you deeper into the core of yourself. The outside world disappears, and the canyon walls and river are suddenly all that there is; here the rhythm of the wild beats closer to the surface. If you listen you can hear it- in the song of the canyon wren, the howl of the coyote, or the familiar sound of water rushing over rock. Here I take the time to watch the light move across the rock walls, and submit myself to trying to capture the magic of the canyon through line and color.

“Downriver: Wanderings Through the Grand Canyon” is my love letter to the Grand, and to everything she has taught me. The collection strives to encapsulate a moment on the river, among the wild inhabitants that call the canyon and the river that runs through it home.

Since the early age of 10, my roots have always been intertwined in nature and art.

Raised in Colorado and Wyoming, I was lucky to grow up in these beautiful states - spending countless hours exploring the outdoors and its wildlife. As my fascination with nature and interest in the arts grew, I began painting the animals I Ioved to observe as a means of developing a unique style while feeding my love of the environment.

Twelve years later, my appreciation for the wild things in life, and the desire to capture them in a unique artistic style has only grown. For me, there is nothing more inspiring than the natural world. Nature holds so much beauty and mystery I often find myself flooded with awe each time I step outside. It is a gift to live on a planet graced with so much life, yet many seem to take this for granted. If art is a universal language, it is my hope to speak out with my work— to move people to look closer and see the beauty in the other lives we share this remarkable planet with.

In Spring 2020 I earned my degree in environmental biology and wildlife ecology from Northern Arizona University. I currently reside and work in Flagstaff, Arizona as a fisheries biologist for the Game and Fish Department studying fish in the Grand Canyon. I hope that my passion and knowledge for the environment and the arts will help to bring people closer to nature and draw attention to pressing issues such as endangered species loss and wildlife conservation