Salt Lake Recessional

About the Artwork

Salt Lake Recessional is a reflection on the changing landscape of Utah's Great Salt Lake—a place where water once stretched across the horizon but now leaves behind exposed earth, fractured shorelines, and the quiet evidence of its retreat.

In the foreground, deep cracks and sweeping, expressive brushstrokes reveal the lakebed as the water recedes. Winding channels of blue and lavender weave through warm, weathered earth, drawing the eye toward the distant Salt Lake City skyline and the Wasatch Mountains rising beyond.

The title carries several layers of meaning. A recessional is both an act of moving away and a musical composition marking the close of a ceremony. Here, it becomes a metaphor for a landscape in transition—a quiet, solemn farewell to something that has long defined this region.

The strong lines of the exposed lakebed lead the viewer into the distance, echoing the very movement of the retreating water. Soft pinks and muted blues contrast with the rugged, broken terrain, creating a tension between the beauty of the scene and the environmental reality it represents.

Rather than depicting the Great Salt Lake simply as a scenic landmark, Salt Lake Recessional invites viewers to consider what is disappearing, what remains, and what the future may hold for a landscape that continues to change before our eyes.