April Gornik

The West, 1986, Oil on canvas, 72" x 98"

Storm Sea, 2008, Oil on linen, 75" x 101"

April Gornik is an American landscape painter known for her dramatic paintings Storms and Fires. Storms and Fires is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museums art collection.

Gornick’s landscapes have big skies and lack people. They are so overpowering that they almost look surreal. She likes to think of herself as a conceptual artist. Her subject matter tends to be strange weather conditions. The landscapes have a luminescent quality and a unique use of color that gives them more emotional impact than the typical landscape. 

Like other landscape artists Gornik spends her time trying to get the word out about environmental issues. Gornik says, “My art is not necessarily made to inspire people to care about the environment, but I'd be very happy if it did have that effect. I think and worry about the environment and global warming CONSTANTLY.”