“I can be who I am without limitation out here”
Leaving the small town of Escalante, I wonder if it is sustainable to create art without the appreciation and validation of an audience. I had just spent a couple of days with Reiser, a man who, in fulfilling a long-held compulsion, remade himself into a sculptor and painter.
The day before, after parking outside Reiser’s home, Henry bounded up with the unconstrained canine joy of seeing a long-lost friend. Reiser, tall, with athletic movements, bright blue intelligent eyes, and wild snowy hair, emerged from the shadows of his front yard, his greeting formal and a little guarded.
I met Reiser and Henry six weeks earlier while spending a few days in Escalante with friends, Mike and Tammy. Mike, always curious, spotted Reiser’s Gallery and Atelier driving down a side street and pulled over to investigate. Reiser was working but still willing to give us a tour. Tammy was entranced by the paintings and sculptures, Mike was absorbed in the details of the woodworking equipment, and the earthy scent of linseed oil transported me to childhood memories of my dad bowling cricket balls at me in our backyard. Reiser’s story stayed with me after the visit, and when planning another trip to the area, I asked if he was interested in having his portrait made. He quickly agreed, and so the reason for my visit.
Henry, a red border collie, welcomed Bruin into his territory, and they quickly became best buddies playing in Reiser’s large yard. Reiser, less impressed, questioned my masculinity in having such a small dog. Later, after Bruin had proven himself capable on the trails, Reiser grudgingly conceded he was “ok.”
George Kenneth Reiser, born in Bozeman, Montana, is the son of a post-WWII German child bride and a Montanan GI with German roots mixed with Scottish blood. He credits his mother for bringing a balancing element of liberalism into the household, and I expect credit for his striking blue eyes is due to his Scottish heritage.
Ken (he never went by George, his father’s first name), enjoyed a happy childhood in Bozeman reveling in the freedom of the outdoors. Following high school, his favorite subjects of math and art led him to delve into stained glass, furniture making, drawing, and sculpture as possible early career options. These creative explorations, tempered by financial considerations, forged his path to excelling in construction through owning and operating his own wood shop.
Aged 58, now preferring to be known by his last name only, Reiser started the next chapter of his life. He sold his shop in Bozeman, and having previously explored the Colorado Plateau, purchased a property in Escalante, Utah right on the northern edge of 1.9 million acres of geological wonder – the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. After remodeling the house and converting the old apple storage shed into a gallery and workshop, he was ready to pursue his passion for art through self-learning.
He works in two mediums: sculpture and painting. The abstract sculptures are made from dead trees he finds close to his home, often at the city dump. He initially shapes the tree trunks using chain saws and then refines the form with an angle grinder, followed by sanding and oiling the wood to showcase the grain. The details of his woodwork reveal his pedigree as a master craftsman. His large format, acrylic on wood panel, brightly colored paintings feature complex abstract geometric patterns.
He is prolific, working every day. He notes on some days he struggles to find creative energy, on other days he works in a flow state with the day flying by, time unnoticed.
Now in his early 70s, Reiser is established as an artist, and was invited to present a solo exhibition of his sculptures and paintings at the Sears Art Museum in 2024. James Peck, the museum curator commented “GK Reiser is one of the most interesting artists working in Utah today, his paintings show him to be a master of color, design and abstraction while his sculptures, sourced from dead trees, are wonderful organic visual puzzles.”
While the exhibition provided valuable validation, it also whetted his appetite for recognition and connection with the art world. Ironically Escalante has provided him with the space and inspiration to create his art, but now his seclusion deprives him of the audience he seeks.
Reiser, single since his divorce four decades ago, has little connection with his daughter, an artist living in Bozeman, and his two grandchildren.
Mirroring Reiser’s family division, Escalante is split between “natives” and “move-ins” each with their own pronunciation of the town’s name. The multi-generational white Mormon natives mostly ranch and farm referring to the town as “Ess-cuh-lant” while the recent move-ins use “Es-ca-lan-tay” referencing Silvestre Velez de Escalante, the 18th century Spanish Franciscan missionary and explorer the town is named after. The move-ins generally come to take part in tourism businesses, which make up more than half of the region’s economic activity, or to retire and enjoy the wonderful natural scenery and relatively mild climate. Despite the addition of move-ins, the town of less than one thousand people continues to shrink as young rural people succumb to the irresistible siren of bright cities. The natives fear the character of their town is changing, imagining an ultimate horror of the town turning into another Moab. Reiser comments that the two groups hardly interact. Despite the energy and optimism of the move-ins, the town is not likely to change much over the next decades while the natives continue to wield their political power to resist change.
Reiser expresses a wish to move on. It seems the seclusion provided by the town has served its purpose of crafting him into an artist, and now he aches for connection of like-minded people who can appreciate his work. He is considering relocating to Sante Fe or possibly Lewistown, Montana. Wherever he decides to go, it will be heartbreaking to leave his wonderful studio and the beauty of the Colorado Plateau. Maybe he will keep his Escalante house, returning periodically …
He recognizes he will not have indefinite strength and stamina to continue sculpting with chain saws and so in the future, plans to turn his attention fully to painting, which will be possible in a smaller studio space.
We went on an afternoon hike above the Escalante River Canyon, initially following a faint path overlooking the canyon, but Reiser soon left the trail, meandering through the steep terrain efficiently and quickly. He has explored the Colorado Plateau on his own, eschewing outings with others, and has learnt the secrets of the land well. He loves the desert, his sanctuary for quiet contemplation, and on our hike is nimbly navigating the rocky slope way ahead of me. Breathing hard, I called out to Reiser, “You have at least another 30 years left in you.” “That would be a nightmare; I don’t want to live that long,” he quickly responds. Reiser has death on his mind, previously remarking he wants to leave Escalante as he does not want to die amongst the Mormons. Our conversation shifts to his friend Richard who, battling pancreatic cancer, decided to end his life the previous year following Montana’s right-to-die law. Reiser recounted the process in detail – a comfortable lounge chair overlooking a creek, the initial medication to prevent regurgitation, the cup of liquid to be swallowed within 30 seconds, sleep, and the End. “It was not sad, it was dignified”. Reiser contemplates a similar death. “We do not have any choice about how we come into the world, but this gives us some control over how we leave.”
Reiser has lived his transformation into an artist so intensely, been so close to the daily discipline of creating, that I feel he has not given himself enough space to step back and appreciate how far he has traveled. Possibly he needs further external validation to recognize the artist he has become. I encourage anyone with an interest in art to visit this fascinating man to see his bold work when travelling through Escalante.
Reiser mentioned he wishes that one day, one of his grandchildren will arrive on his doorstep wanting to connect with him and learn about the life he has created. I hope his wish comes true.
Reiser’s recent work can be viewed on his Instagram account, https://www.instagram.com/gkreiserart/, and he can be contacted at GK.R@outlook.com.
