Karen Horne is thrilled that the Eccles Theater SLC has acquired her plein-air painting of the theater frontage in celebration of its tenth anniversary. This piece was created by the artist this past summer, in the Urban Plein Air project sponsored by The Blocks SLC and Downtown Alliance. Over a dozen local artists each chose from major downtown sites to paint. Karen, with her interest in our city’s theaters, chose the Eccles. She braved the 100+ degree July afternoon to set up on the sidewalk of Main Street. She worked to depict not only the dramatic frontage and summer light, but the patrons coming in to attend the matinee. Fortunately, a tree offered shade as she worked.
This artwork and the paintings from other participating artists are on view at the “Civic Museum,” located on the lobby of the second tier of the Eccles Theater through March 2027. Afterwards, Horne’s painting will be permanently on display at another location in the theater.
This aquisition has special meaning for the artist, since she has devoted much time to celebrating many local theaters,including the Capitol Theatre, Rose Wagner, Abravanel. Karen Horne has depicted the Eccles theater numerous times since its opening in fall of 2016. The paintings have usually focused on night scenes, and this is the first afternoon view that she has painted. Several of the artist’s other Eccles paintings are in collections, including the collection of the SLC law firm, Parsons, Behle and Latimer.
For more of Karen Horne’s SLC paintings, including currently available Eccles Theater pieces, visit her SLC Cityscapes page.
