PHANTOM WEST | Charlotte Hemmings

Artist Charlotte Hemmings' mixed media works probe the mythology of the American West, where the spectacle of the rodeo is both subject and metaphor. Hyper-iconic imagery drawn from cowboy and rodeo traditions is transferred onto canvas, then deliberately dismantled through paint—gestural marks, drips, and swaths of raw pigment pulling clarity into collapse. Horses charge into chromatic noise, flags dissolve into paint’s physicality, and dust becomes pure pigment. What begins as an iconic spectacle shifts into a fractured, shimmering residue of memory and myth. This process opens a dialogue about how cultural narratives are constructed, romanticized, and revised. For the artist, that conversation is personal. "As an Idaho native now distanced from fully rural rhythms, I stand in a liminal space—close enough to feel the pull of heritage, yet distant enough to see its contradictions. The rodeo—already a performance of myth—becomes even more performative, refracted through technological and painterly lenses. What remains is neither fixed history nor pure invention, but something in between: a luminous vision of the West suspended between belonging and estrangement, heritage and reinvention," says Hemmings. Charlotte Hemmings earned her BFA in Painting from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, graduating on the Dean’s List and serving as Director of Advertising and Wall Graphics for the Senior Exhibition. Her work has been featured in exhibitions including “Boroughs of Los Angeles” (2006), “Show FOUR” (2005), “Salon Saloon” (2005), and “Death to Day Jobs” at Ochi Gallery (2012). Blending the visual language of contemporary painting with the mythic allure of the American West, her practice is celebrated for its evocative imagery, bold narrative presence, and modern reimagining of iconic Western archetypes. Hemmings currently lives and works in Park City, Utah.