Reception: A Beauty of its Own by Richard Opper

Richard Opper’s show, A Beauty of Its Own, presents a series of landscape paintings that invite viewers to slow down and observe place beyond assumption. Through attention to color, tone, and form, Opper reveals unexpected beauty within both natural and altered environments.
Many of his paintings focus on Butte, and were created during a month-long Open AIR Montana Artist-in-Residency in Butte last October. These paintings explore landscapes shaped by over a century of mining, including areas within the massive Clark Fork River Basin Federal Superfund Site. By looking closely, Opper uncovers beauty even in places marked by environmental damage, suggesting the possibility of healing through deeper observation.