Landscape paintings depicting high mountains and polar regions by internationally known University of Colorado at Boulder glaciologist Mark Meier will be on display at the Boulder Public Library and at his home studio from Sept. 30 to Oct. 9.
Meier, the former director of CU-Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research who has conducted research from Greenland to the South Pole, will display his paintings at the library and at his home as part of the Boulder Open Studios project. His paintings have been displayed, commissioned and sold in the United States and Europe.
He said science, math and art all involve the discovery of patterns and symmetry and require both the inspiration and ability to conceive and exploit new ideas. "The diversity of colors, textures, rhythms and patterns that exist in these regions is awe-inspiring," said Meier. "I find the steep angles of the alpine landscape and the pure, subtle colors of the polar regions very aesthetic."
Meier, whose early years were influenced by summers spent with his family in the Taos, N.M., art community, has studied art at Occidental College, the University of Puget Sound and in the CU-Boulder department of art and art history. He also has studied with local painters in the Boulder-Denver area.
Meier, who has published more than 200 scientific publications since 1951, most recently has been probing the global role of glaciers in climate change and sea-level rise. He has received a number of prestigious national and international awards during his career, including medals from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the International Glaciological Society and the American Geophysical Union. A valley in Antarctica bears his name.
He formed the glaciology program for the U.S. Geological Survey in 1956 and came to CU-Boulder in 1985 as the INSTAAR director and a full professor in the geological sciences department. Although he officially retired from CU-Boulder several years ago, Meier continues to conduct research and publish scientific papers.
As part of the Open Studios program, Meier's home studio will be open for visits and paintings will be on display on the afternoons of Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 and Oct. 8 and Oct. 9. Primarily an acrylic painter, Meier prefers impressionist and abstract styles. His wife, Barbara, also an artist, works in textiles.
The Boulder Public Library is located at 1000 Canyon Blvd.
For more information contact Meier at (303) 444-9008.