Artist recreates 59 national park landscapes using tape

Artist recreates 59 national park landscapes using tape

(Chad Farnes/Ezetary Art)


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Correction: Initial press information said the collection was 75 mosaics. That's been corrected to 60. SALT LAKE CITY — The almost pop-art quality of Chad Farnes' landscapes come from a surprising medium: tape.

Duct tape, washi tape, painter's tape, masking tape and electrical tape are all transformed at the hand of Farnes. Under the name Ezetary Art, Farnes creates mosaics using bits of tape — mostly duct tape — reimagining landscapes in a pop-artesque manner.

"I love tape art for the effect that it has on people. When watching people look at my art, many just assume that they are looking at acrylic paintings and quickly pass," Farnes said. "Others pause, wondering what they are looking at, studying the pieces a little more. Once they realize that they are looking at tape, a sense of awe and wonder fill their expressions."

The California native moved to Utah for college, where he intended to study art. But after taking a psychology class as an undergraduate, he changed his major to study the mind. He graduated with a Bachelor's in psychology and later, a Master's in school counseling. He works full time as a high school counselor in Taylorsville during the day and creates art at home.

Redwood National Park. Tape on panel. (Photo: Chad Farnes)
Redwood National Park. Tape on panel. (Photo: Chad Farnes)

He creates the pieces from a photograph, first. He alters the image in Photoshop using a filter to colorblock the images to correspond with his tape colors. Then, he traces the image onto a panel, cuts out strips of tape to fit and then applies those pieces to the panel. He finishes them with polyurethane or envirotex for preservation.

His work currently on display, called Tape•ography, is at Finch Gallery in Salt Lake City until Nov. 20. It is composed of 59 landscapes of National Parks and one of the San Rafael Swell. Farnes is inspired by nature and the unexpected.

"While living in Provo after moving to Utah, I was dazzled by the unexpected sunsets casting the last rays of lavender light on Timpanogos. While going through a slot canyon for the first time, I felt like I was traveling through an unexplored Martian landscape," he said. "Nature, national parks and public lands in general have a high concentration of unexpected discoveries and adventures, which is why I find them so inspiring."

Of the 60 works, Farnes said his favorite is his depiction of Zion National Park.

"Zion has a special place in my heart in that it was the first national park and public lands area that I fell in love with," Farnes said. "I find that my connection with that piece is more of an emotional connection rather than an aesthetic connection."

He also feels it is important that his work has a voice, and in the case of his national park landscapes, promoting the preservation of public lands.

"Once the lands are mined, drilled or grazed, they can potentially be destroyed forever. I would like to see more of the lands preserved for the enjoyment and need of current and future generations," he said.

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Celeste Tholen Rosenlof

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