“Moonrise” (2015)
Lake Tahoe-based plein air artist Phyllis Shafer brings the mountains, lakes, and forests of the American West to life in vibrant oil paint. But instead of going for photorealism, she focuses on capturing the energy of the landscape with twisted perspectives and a touch of the surreal.
Having grown up in a rural area of upstate New York, Shafer has always had a love of nature. She tells My Modern Met, “My grandparents were farmers, so the land is part of my DNA.” However, the artist’s passion for painting en plein air truly flourished after she moved to Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There, her summers off from teaching allowed her to fully immerse herself in the natural beauty of the area.
From around April to October each year, Shafer now devotes her free time to capturing Sierra Nevada’s stunning landscapes in oil paint, blending the realism of the scenery with her distinctive, surreal style. She explains, “My process is to begin the paintings out-of-doors and then “cook” them back in the studio to achieve the perfect balance of observation and fantasy that I am looking for in my work.”
Clouds seem to swirl like smoke in the sky, trees bend and twist in unexpected ways, and flowers often appear larger than life. Each mesmerizing scene looks like something from a dream, blending the familiar with the surreal in a way that draws you in. In one particular painting, titled Flicker’s Ascent, Shafer renders the scene as if viewed through a fish-eye lens, with the distorted landscape curling up at the edges and seemingly giant birds soaring through the sky.
Nature is Shafer’s primary inspiration, but she also draws influence from 20th-century American Modernists. “I have always been drawn to early 20th century regionalist paintings by artists such as Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood,” she explains. “I am a big fan of artists like Emily Carr and, of course, Georgia O’Keefee. Charles Burchfield for instance is a big influence on my work.”
Check out some of the artist’s incredible paintings below and find more from her portfolio on Shafer’s website.
Phyllis Shafer, a Lake Tahoe-based plein air artist, vividly captures the mountains, lakes, and forests of the American West.
“Mt. Tom” (2024)
Her vibrant oil paintings blend the realism of the scenery with her distinctive, surreal style.
“Clark’s Day Out” (2024)
Clouds seem to swirl like smoke in the sky.
“Moonrise Over Stevens Peak” (2022)
Trees bend and warp in unexpected ways.
“Conifer Dance” (2023)
And flowers often appear larger than life.
“Swallowtail Dance” (2019)
“Thistle’s Repose” (2019)
Each mesmerizing painting looks like something from a dream.
“Flicker’s Ascent” (2016)
“Headland Cove, Point Lobos” (2015)
“Salt Point Afternoon” (2019)
“My grandparents were farmers, so the land is part of my DNA.”
“Among the Rabbitbrush and Sage” (2022)
“Above the Carson” (2013)