Meet Lizzie Wenger, the artist behind colorful murals featuring desert landscapes
Aug 11, 2025, 7:59 PM | Updated: Aug 12, 2025, 3:10 pm
Utah artist Lizzie Wenger. (Nick Roush)
(Nick Roush)
SALT LAKE CITY — You might have seen Lizzie Wenger’s colorful murals on buildings in Salt Lake. One of them is on the side of Patagonia’s Sugarhouse location.
Lizzie Wenger, a Utah artist, works on a mural outside Patagonia’s Salt Lake City store. (Lizzie Wenger)
Wenger, who was born and raised in Utah, said she finds inspiration in the landscapes she recreates in.
“I’m a rock climber, an mountaineer, I backpack a lot, I do some river rafting, all sorts of stuff outside. Um, so a lot of my trips that’s kind of like my main thing that I’m focusing on is just sort of being in that moment that kind of type two fun stuff,” Wenger said. “I’ve always definitely been really inspired by the Wasatch and the desert too,”
Lizzie Wenger, a Utah artist, mountaineers in the Cascade Mountains. (Lizzie Wenger)
Type two fun is described as experiences that may not be enjoyable in the moment, but are pleasurable in hindsight.
She said she often takes sketchbooks on her adventures, as well as “a ton of” photos.
“I probably have like 20,000 photos on my camera roll and I would say like 80% of them are just different shots. Like, usually the same shot of the same landscape over and over and over again,” Wenger said. “I’m sort of just trying to like collect these field notes to then bring back into my studio.”
Wenger described herself as a desert person. It shows in her works, which often feature the hot, dry landscapes associated with southern Utah. However, at times, she has also painted mountains.
“Being at the base of the Wasatch, there’s no way that I can not be infatuated with it,” she said.
Re-creating desert landscapes
Wenger explained that she typically doesn’t do any plein air painting, as her works are often on a large scale.
Plein air painting refers to working on a piece outdoors.
“It’s a lot of collecting … different materials that I can then revisit,” Wenger said.
After gathering references, she likes to study them, considering how she can capture the vibe of a place with her paints.
Sometimes, she said, she can visualize the intricate lines that characterize her work, which is referred to as “psychedelic cubist,” on her website.
“Moon Flower” by Lizzie Wenger. (Lizzie Wenger)
Her experience rock climbing also helps with her process at times.
“I would like to think that in another life, I’m a geologist just because I’m really infatuated with rocks and the stories of time that they tell,” Wenger said. “I think as a climber too, I’m kind of always looking at [lines] like ‘oh, I wonder if I could climb that.'”
Wenger said some formations provide a clear picture of the lines that may form her piece. She provided the example of sandstone, which waves and ripples through desert landscapes.
In addition to painting murals, some of which are on display across the state, Wenger has also had works displayed at a variety of organizations, events and galleries. She recently presented a show at A Gallery in Salt Lake City.
Per her website, Wenger is slated to unveil a mural at the Moab liquor store in winter 2025.
Creating community with art
Wenger said one of her work’s main purposes is to create community.
“The intention behind painting landscapes and my work as a whole is to create community and show people that there’s so much you can do if you have a relationship with the outdoors,” Wenger said.
