Untitled (Rolling Hills, Utah) by Ranch S. Kimball

Ranch S. Kimball (American, 1894–1980)
Untitled (Rolling Hills, Utah)
Pastel on paper
10½ × 13 in.

This quiet landscape is constructed through broad horizontal bands of muted color, suggesting rolling terrain and distant hills under a subdued sky. Kimball layers soft blues, grays, and earthen browns, allowing the pastel medium to produce gentle transitions rather than sharp delineation. The composition emphasizes stillness and spatial depth, with the central plateau anchoring the scene while cooler passages recede into the background. Sparse detail and restrained mark-making encourage a contemplative reading of the land, prioritizing atmosphere and structure over descriptive specificity.

Ranch S. Kimball was an American artist known for landscape painting rooted in the geography of Utah and the Intermountain West. Born in Salt Lake City, he studied at Brigham Young University, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Art Students League of New York, where he worked under Boardman Robinson. Active during the regionalist movement of the 1930s, Kimball developed a distinctive modern style characterized by simplified forms, inventive color, and strong structural design. Though he later left painting to pursue work in graphic design, signage, and business, his artistic contributions remain an important chapter in Utah’s cultural history.