Richard Cole has long been drawn to the particular quality of Prairie light — the way a wide, unbroken horizon sets sky against land with no interruption, no shelter, no middle ground. His two newest works, now available through West End Gallery, bring that subject to some of the largest canvases of his Prairie series to date.

Cole studied oil painting at the Alberta College of Art and Design, graduating in 1991. Born in Edmonton, he has spent decades working across two distinct landscape subjects: the Northwest Coast forests and shores of British Columbia, and the open Prairie of his home province of Alberta. These new works belong firmly to the Prairie body, and they represent that series at its most resolved.

Edge of the Gathering Sky 36" × 48"  ·  Oil on Canvas

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Edge of the Gathering Sky is the more austere of the two. The cloud cover runs from near-black Prussian blue at the horizon through deep teal to pale grey-white at the upper edge — a compressed tonal range that holds the composition taut across all 48 inches of its width. The canola field below is handled with textured impasto in the foreground, individual blossoms built up with raised strokes against a darker green ground, flattening into a smooth, even band of yellow as it recedes toward the horizon line.

Where Light Refuses 48" × 60"  ·  Oil on Canvas

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Where Light Refuses works differently. At 48" × 60", it is the larger canvas, and Cole uses the additional scale to introduce a more complex sky. Large cumulus formations in white and pale grey billow through the upper register, their rounded forms carrying visible internal shadow and three-dimensional depth. A dark band of near-black and deep teal cloud sits below, pressing toward the horizon. Between the two layers, a narrow channel of pale blue-grey light holds — the space the title refers to, where illumination persists at the edge of being extinguished.

The foreground in this work is more elaborate than in Edge of the Gathering Sky. Long grass stems, rendered with directional brushwork, lean across the lower canvas in a consistent direction. Blossoms in yellow and yellow-green are distributed individually and in small clusters across the dark green ground. At 60 inches wide, that foreground detail carries its full weight.

Cole's paintings are held in corporate and private collections worldwide. Both works are gallery-wrapped on canvas with finished dark edges and are ready to hang unframed.

Collectors interested in either work are encouraged to contact the gallery directly to confirm availability and discuss acquisition terms.