Sierra Snow: Sunrise on East Face

Sam Richardson, Sierra Snow: Sunrise on East Face, 1974, mixed media: polyurethane, plexiglas and painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.91
Copied Sam Richardson, Sierra Snow: Sunrise on East Face, 1974, mixed media: polyurethane, plexiglas and painted wood, 8 382020 in. (21.350.850.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.91

Artwork Details

Title
Sierra Snow: Sunrise on East Face
Date
1974
Dimensions
8 382020 in. (21.350.850.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection
Mediums Description
mixed media: polyurethane, plexiglas and painted wood
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — mountain
Object Number
1980.137.91

Artwork Description

Sam Richardson’s Sierra Series was the result of a happy accident. While traveling across the country, a storm caused his plane to change direction and fly over an area of the Rockies. Richardson had seen the mountains from the ground before, and always had been fascinated with the formation of the snowdrifts, but seeing these from above gave him a new perspective. Pieces in the Sierra Series are composed from a thin layer of plastic that has been formed and painted to resemble delicate peaks and ridges of snow.