Opabin Glory 

Terri Kelly Moyers created this landscape painting, Opabin Glory, sometime in the 20th century. Moyers situates us at the base of a grand vista. Our eyes are drawn to the mountains, piercing the sky above the rock-strewn foreground and line of trees. As a woman working in a traditionally male-dominated genre, Moyers brings a distinct sensibility to landscape painting. Her vantage point is low, almost as if we are lying on the ground, gazing up in awe. This positioning invites viewers to connect with the landscape on a visceral level. Moyers does not flatten this experience. Rather, the painting hints at the labor it takes to traverse such a space, with a foreground full of boulders. The bright yellow trees stand out, not only visually, but as an indication of the changing seasons. Moyers’ work, like that of many contemporary landscape painters, asks us to consider our place within the larger natural world. She evokes not only the glory, but the grit that comes with such beauty.