Show Preview | Randy Pijoan

Denver, CO
Regis University, January 13-February 20

Randy Pijoan, Galicia Morning Departure, oil, 16 x 20.

This story was featured in the February 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art February 2015 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

For more than a thousand years, pilgrims of various faiths and backgrounds have traveled the Camino de Santiago, a spiritual journey that has a number of routes but always ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain, where it is believed the remains of the apostle St. James are held. Some walk the Camino for religious reasons, others seek spiritual guidance or enlightenment, and some do it for the adventure or even to lose weight. For artist Randy Pijoan, the decision was spurred by a difficult time in his life: “After my mother passed away two years ago, my father and I decided to walk the Camino together as a way to find some inner meaning or healing,” he says.

From January 13 through February 20, Pijoan presents about 30 works inspired by his journey in a solo show at Regis University’s O’Sullivan Art Gallery in Denver, CO. An artist’s reception is from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 22, and an artist’s talk is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 5. Curated by Tony Ortega, artist and chair of Regis University’s fine-art department, the show and sale includes oil and gouache paintings and monoprints based on the artist’s photographs and sketches of the Camino.

Pijoan and his father walked about 150 miles of the Camino Frances, the most popular route of the Camino de Santiago. It took them about 15 days to reach their destination, walking 13 to 18 miles every day amidst the charming villages and breathtaking rivers, mountains, and valleys of the picturesque northern Spanish countryside. The spectacular scenery alone would be enough to inspire any artist, but Pijoan says it was the people they encountered along the way—most of whom were also “sorting through” something—who inspired him most. “So while I could have done a show of just landscapes, I chose to focus on the human side of the journey—the emotional landscape I witnessed that touched me on a deeper level,” he says. Ultimately, he explains, his goal is to portray the “poetry and atmosphere of this contemporary yet ancient human experience” of the pilgrimage, and to show how this 1,500-year-old tradition still has relevance and meaning in our modern lives. —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
303.964.3634
www.randypijoan.com

Featured in the February 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art February 2015 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!