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The Cutaway Landscapes of Bryce Lafferty

Rendered in watercolor and gouache, the landscape drawings of Bryce Lafferty evoke both scientific diagrams and a more abstract devotion to nature. The artist says these works are often based on place he's been to, and are birthed from "meshing together memories with categorical knowledge, like science, philosophy, or history." To some, his work may evoke the watercolored tones of Rob Sato or the admiration of the natural world found in the early work of Josh Keyes.

Rendered in watercolor and gouache, the landscape drawings of Bryce Lafferty evoke both scientific diagrams and a more abstract devotion to nature. The artist says these works are often based on place he’s been to, and are birthed from “meshing together memories with categorical knowledge, like science, philosophy, or history.” To some, his work may evoke the watercolored tones of Rob Sato or the admiration of the natural world found in the early work of Josh Keyes.

“I often use recurring motifs, such as cross sections and concentric patterning in my work,” he says. “Cutaways provide a way to open up my landscapes and help tell the story of their inner workings. I integrate concentric patterns with natural elements, like folding rock and tree rings. These abstractions stand in for my more emotive and inarticulable responses to nature.”

See more of his work below.

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