GALLERY NEWS

For Sean Wallis, light is both a visual language and an emotional anchor. An impressionist deeply attuned to atmosphere and movement, Wallis approaches each painting by first listening to what the light is saying within a scene — how warmth and coolness interact, how sunlight can momentarily soften winter’s grip and how those fleeting conditions shape feeling as much as form. Rooted in the rhythms of mountain life, his work in Gathering Light, on view January 8 to 29, 2026, reflects a search for balance and harmony, where snow, sun and shadow vibrate together to create a sense of warmth within the cold. In this conversation with Ann Korologos Gallery, Wallis shares how light guides his process, how memory and place inform his mountain scenes, and how even in the depths of winter, moments of warmth continue to surface—both on the canvas and within the heart.

What are your favorite qualities of winter light, and how does it differ from other seasons? What is your favorite time of day or quality of light? 

I love winter light. It offers such a contrast between warm and cool. I love when the sun hits the snow and you can represent warmth in the cold. It’s fun to have someone look at a winter painting and say they can feel the sun – that feeling is what draws me to those scenes. Coming from a mountain town that is swallowed in snow half the year, those days of sunny warmth give a reprieve from the cold and cloudy days of winter.

As an artist, how does the concept of “Gathering Light” inspire your process and these works in the exhibition? What does “light” symbolize for you beyond the physical?

As an impressionist, I would pose that gathering light is central to my artistic focus. I never paint a scene without first considering the light and what that says inside that scene.

Your paintings often feel alive with movement and atmosphere. How do you decide when a painting has reached that point of vibration and balance?

When I was learning to paint, my father once said to me, “When you can paint objects and create atmosphere between them, you will know you have achieved something.” For me, it’s how the aspects of your painting interact with each other, and when they are in harmony together, you’re there.

What was special to you in the moments depicted in your work in the exhibition? How do you portray that feeling in your paintings? 

All three paintings are mountain scenes. I always feel at home among the mountains. “Last Warmth of the Day” was a special day. My partner, Amilee, and I packed up a trailer and drove across the west. This piece was painted of Napa Valley as the sun was setting. Beautiful light at the end of a wonderful day.

In the darkness of winter, what brings you lightness of spirit, or lightness of the heart? How does the winter season change your process?  

I’m not a fan of the cold, so I’m always looking for warmth in the winter, whether is a hot drink, cozy blanket, or the sun bathing the snow in light.

Learn more about Sean Wallis and view all available work. Sean Wallis is a featured artist in “Gathering Light” on view January 8 to 29, 2026 at Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt, CO.