The Pit is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new paintings and screen dividers by Scottsdale, Arizona–based artist Howard Fonda, his second solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition will be on view January 17 - March 5, 2026 with an opening reception on January 17 from 5-7pm. Known for his introspective approach to image-making, Fonda continues his ongoing exploration of the natural world as a site of both spiritual reflection and emotional truth. This latest body of work features sweeping landscapes that oscillate between observation and abstraction, intimacy and expansiveness. Together, the works unfold as meditations on the simple, profound act of looking closely at the world.

Fonda’s painting practice is rooted in a rigorous yet intuitive process that honors openness and sincerity. Working wet-into-wet, he layers color allowing each mark to remain visible as both gesture and record. His brushstrokes—short, undulating, and rhythmic—recall the optical shimmer of Pointillism, though his approach replaces individual dots with expressive, wavy strokes that vibrate across the surface. This technique lends the paintings a pulsing, tactile presence. In these works, perception is an active, breathing experience.

For To Be Grass Upon the Hills, Fonda turns his gaze toward landscapes as portals into broader states of contemplation. Fonda’s wavy brush strokes create triangular shapes that reference Plato’s fundamental building blocks of the universe and Buddhism’s three tenets (Impermanence, Unsatisfactoriness, and No-Self). The triangular shapes are paired with upside down crescents reminiscent of Buddhist stupas that act as both abstracted negative and positive spaces in the terrain. The paintings unfold in fields of color that blur the lines between representation and dream – trees radiate energy, skies hum with chromatic harmonies, and the ground seems to shift underfoot. The star of the exhibition is Lake Whatcom (Xwotʼqom) and Whatcom Falls in Washington state, a location dear to Fonda’s childhood, where his mother grew up, and where he sensed the awe of nature. Across the exhibition, nature becomes a mirror for consciousness by reflecting the interdependence, beauty, and impermanence that define the human condition. Through these new works, Fonda continues to pursue painting as an act of inquiry. For Fonda understanding the world begins with seeing it fully—each branch, each bird, each moment of light held briefly in paint.