Sandra Pratt - Artist Biography Born 1978 in Chicago, IL, Sandra Pratt has established herself as a distinctive voice in contemporary landscape painting. A self-taught artist who briefly attended the Art Institute of Chicago, Pratt developed her signature palette knife technique through years of intuitive exploration and practice. Pratt's work is characterized by bold, expressive strokes that transform ordinary scenes, particularly her iconic red barns, village alleyways, and Western vistas, into compositions of remarkable emotional depth. Working exclusively wet-into-wet, she completes each painting in a single session, embracing the immediacy this approach demands. "Just because something is simple doesn't make it easy," notes Pratt. "The real challenge is to make simplicity look effortless." This philosophy guides her practice as she distills complex landscapes to their essence, using a deliberately limited palette focused on fundamental colors. Now based in Boulder, Colorado, Pratt finds endless inspiration in the mountains and forests surrounding her home. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including Abend Gallery, earning acclaim for its nostalgic quality and emotional resonance.