It’s all about the light.  Landscape painter and pastel artist Jennifer Hoffman’s work is, as I’ve said many times, imbued with light so delicate it’s,…okay, I’ll say it: heavenly.

Hoffman, represented by Galleries West, debuts her new exhibit, “Transcending,” this month.  The show runs July 16-August 5 and is a compilation of new regional landscapes, as well as works depicting views of places recently visited by the artist. The show includes oil paintings and pastels.  An opening reception will be held on Thursday, July 16 from 5-8 PM during the Jackson Hole Gallery Association ArtWalk.

A painter and a sculptor, Hoffman first made her mark with her feminine, poetic pastel compositions.   She calls her palette muted, a description that under-serves her mastery of light.   It is, as she says, meditative.

“I’m a big fan of the Tonalists. I love the glowing light of dawn and dusk, and the subdued values of rainy and foggy days. I’m much more interested in the subtleties of a scene than in big contrasts.  I am equally interested in communicating the internal and external in my work. I think subject, composition, and palette are often more reflective of my internal state than the physical environment. Creating a work of art is, for me, a transcendent experience,” says the artist.

Hoffman has a devoted following, and Galleries West owner Debbie Bunch notes that Hoffman’s painting style is quiet and unassuming; it stands apart from most local painters’.   Hoffman often works alongside landscape painters Ned Jacob, Scott Christensen, Kathy Wipfler, Greg McHuron and others.

And, Hoffman’s pedigree is as long as my arm.   Her work has been included in the NMWA Western Visions Miniature Show, the Western Regional Juried Exhibit, the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters National Exhibition, and the 9th Annual Pastel 100, an international competition where she was awarded 3rd Place. Hoffman is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and an artist member of the Oil Painters of America and the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters.

For more information or to see additional artwork by Jennifer L. Hoffman, contact Galleries West Fine Art at 307-733-4412. Or, visit www.gallerieswestjacksonhole.com and www.jenniferhoffman.com.

Item #2:  JACKSON HOLE ART FAIR!

Hey, it’s July!
So it’s time to share
‘Bout that annual gig
The Jackson Hole Art Fair!

Or “Art Fair Jackson Hole”
As it likes to be called;
Nobody asked me—I’m not involved.
No matter the title
It’s a time we’re aware
Of Art that is new,
And Art that is rare.
If it suits you, please dine
On big chocolate éclairs.

Hey, man
Don’t be bored;
Sometimes Harrison Ford
Comes to check out the art
And he brings Flockhart!

Buy ceramics, toys, fiber!
This poem’s the town crier
For an art fair weekend
Come rain or come shine-er.
Paintings, baskets, jewels, tents;
Sunscreen and some fivers
All make for a day
The whole family could die for!

See the Fair! Have fun.
This poem is so done.

What: Art Fair Jackson Hole 2009

When: July 17, 18 & 19

Friday and Saturday 10am- 6pm, Sunday 10am-4pm

Where: Miller Park, 2 blocks west of the Town Square

Admission is $3 and all proceeds support the Art Association
307-733-8792
amyf@artassociation.org