Jackson Hole Art Blog

Throughout December, Mountain Trails Gallery hosts its Holiday Miniatures Show, a collection of small works on canvas and bronze sculptures.  Currently on display, the show remains up through December 24th.   An artists’ reception takes place Thursday, December 17, 4-7 p.m.

Gallery Director Pam Flores notes that the show explores a wide selection of subjects and styles.  Prices are mixed, providing good opportunity to purchase affordable art; it’s a nice chance to begin a personal collection.   Themes are primarily Western, and include wildlife, Native American culture, cowboys and landscapes.   More than 50 works are included.

Many artists will be on hand to greet the public during the reception, which takes place during December’s Gallery Association Art Walk.  This is the first holiday reception for Mountain Trails in their new corner space on the Town Square.

For more information contact Pamela Flores, at 307.734.8150, or email director@mtntrails.net.

Yikes, I hope there’s still time to check out Jarrod Eastman’s artwork over at Full Circle Frameworks--A party happened this past Friday evening, and judging from what Rocky Vertone posted on Facebook, Eastman’s works look pretty alive and fun.   I’m so not a smarty when it comes to the lingo of the 20 and 30-something Jackson art crowd, but I do know that Rocky’s venue is one-of-a-kind and that he is providing a much needed service for up-and-coming Jackson Hole artists.

Available Eastman art includes original works and limited edition prints.  Vertone also says some “one off” pieces are up for sale at very affordable prices.   So check it out, give Vertone a buzz for an update.   733-0770 at the shop.

Item #2: Art Association Offers Fall Classes

The Art Association of Jackson Hole has a full and diverse fall arts class schedule.  Painting, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, metals, fiber, glass, photography, printmaking and sculpture are all on the roster.   Classes are taught by an impressive group of artists, including but not limited to:  Valerie Seaberg, Alissa Davies, Sam Dowd, Sharon Thomas, Kathy Turner, Amy Larkin, Georgia Mayer, Abbie Miller, Greg Epstein, Aaron Mitchell….

Visiting artists for adult classes include: Lian Quan Zhen (Class: Spirit of Life: Watercolor and Chinese Painting), Charles Reid (Figure in Watercolor), Donna Rozman (Ceramics, Color and Design), Danielle Corriea, Daniella Woolf, Rebecca Stern & Bronwyn Minton (Encaustic & Photographic Processes), Dan Haga (Advanced Silver Workshop), Bob Smith (Wildlife Photography), Elizabeth Opalenik (The Figure in Motion) and Johan Hagaman (Sculpting in Concrete: From High Art to Yard Art).

There are plenty of art classes for kids, too!  Check out The Avery Mathieu Youth Scholarship Fund page to learn about a meaningful way to contribute to the Art Association’s ongoing commitment to youth.

For information, log onto the Art Association’s website here, or email signup@artassociation.org. You can download a pdf describing all courses and special programs.    Phone:  307.733.6379.

PS: Rumor has it that the position of Art Association E.D. has been offered to someone from the field of applicants interested in that job.

Item #3:  New Casting at Galleries West

Jackson hole sculptor R. Scott Nickell has a new bronze in the works - an Arapaho Dancer. The figure depicts a warrior relating his story of valor through ceremonial dance.  If you’ve ever attended a pow wow, you know how gorgeous and mesmerizing these dances are.

Says Nickell, “Gripping a war shield in one hand and a gunstock war club in the other, (the dancer’s) performance illustrates the act of counting coup during battle.  In Native tradition, counting coup (touching an adversary with the tip of the war club) was a braver feat than killing an enemy, since it involved more danger to the warrior himself.  Feathers were given as rewards for these acts of bravery and were displayed like medals of honor by the warriors.”

I haven’t told you about the deal: Nickell is offering a pre-cast discount for those ordering before November 15th.   Pre-cast price is currently $5500, but if ordered by November 15th, a 5% discount is applied.  Time to start thinking about those holidays…..For full details on the piece and special payment arrangements, contact Galleries West at 307.733.4412 or email info@gallerieswestjacksonhole.com.

Mary Roberson’s epic collection, Nature is Life in the Dream, opened at Altamira Fine Art on August 6, and you should not miss seeing this remarkable collection of new paintings.

Says Roberson, “When I struggle, I watch the critters who teach me the greatest value of all – simplicity and joy.”

This new grouping of large scale paintings is mythic in scope, abstract, muted and…dream-like.  Roberson uses earth tones mixed with low-impact greens and amber, and feels she is capturing climate, ground, atmosphere, and animal by avoiding an over use of color.   Her bison appear to have floated down from the sky, settled on desert amidst sandy clouds of dust, and are slowly materializing.

Altamira’s artist bio page says that Roberson is a “….firm believer in the concept that the creative process should be fun, selfless, and that it is natural and distinct to every individual…. Wildlife and nature are her sources of both inspiration and reaffirmation.”

Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Update:  R. Tom Gilleon, 2009’s Fall Arts Festival Poster Artist, is now represented by Altamira Fine Art.   This year’s poster signing event will take place at Altamira.   See J.H. Fall Arts Festival Calendar –click on the page link, right hand side of the Jackson Hole Art Blog’s home page.

Altamira: 307.739.4700.   www.altamiraart.com.

Item #2

The Legacy Gallery presents its summer Visions of the West: Multi-Artist Show and Sale, opening Friday, August 14.   With a focus on sculpture and paintings of Native Americans and Cowboys (I’ll capitalize both!) the show, says the gallery, “represents the true spirit of the West.”

A spirit more and more elusive, some might argue.   Let’s keep the legends, romance and history alive in Western art.  Many Legacy Gallery artists are participating in the show and will be on hand for the August 14 opening.

A list of participating artists includes: James Ayers, Roy Andersen, Russell Houston, Robert Shufelt, Chad Poppleton, C. Michael Dudash, Jason Rich, John Fawcett, David Wright, Gary Lynn Roberts, John Gawne, Teal Blake, Joni Falk, George D. Smith, and a few paintings to be sold on a draw basis by G. Harvey.  Also showing will be bronze sculptors Tim Shinabarger, Richard Greeves, G. Harvey, John Coleman, T.D. Kelsey, and Mehl Lawson.

This special show is accompanied by a color catalogue, a fine addition and collectible item in itself. For additional information or color photos,  contact Legacy Gallery at 307-733-2353 or email maya@legacygallery.com.

Item #3:  Art Association/Art Lab

The Jackson Hole Art Association’s August Art Fair Jackson Hole takes place August 14-16, at Miller Park in Jackson.   Additionally, The 10th Annual (Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival) Takin’ It to the Streets art fair takes place  Sunday, September 13, 2009. Says the Art Association, ” An intimate ‘local’s only’ show, this fair has become a popular favorite with locals and visitors alike!  If you create your own art and want to apply to this juried show, we’d love to have you! Contact Amy Fradley, Art Fair Director at 307-733-8792, or email at artistinfo@jhartfair.org.

Visiting the Art Association?  Don’t stop there; head upstairs to the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts third floor and check out Teton Art Lab. Travis Walker’s brainchild, the Art Lab provides artist residencies and a shared artistic and studio experience.  It’s a great place for artists new to Jackson to find their way and establish credibility.

This Friday, check out artwork by local and regional artists works in It Came from the Supervolcano, a collection of charged, energetic art by up-and-coming creatives and, just maybe, inspired by Yellowstone’s volcanic power.   The show adds to the ever-growing list of venues for new artists “exploding” around town.   Alexandra Kornblum’s graphic, bold oil paintings headline the show. Ben Carlson and others get in the groove, too.  The show pops its cork  with an opening Friday night, 6-9 pm, at the Art Lab.    www.tetonartlab.com.

In the fall, the Art Lab can set qualifying artists up with housing, studio access, and other kinds of support.  Email: info@tetonartlab.com.

The Legacy Gallery hosts a two-man show for Western artists James Ayers and Jason Rich this month.  An opening reception will be held on Thursday, August 6, at the gallery, 75 N. Cache, on the Jackson Town Square southwest corner.   Both artists will be present.

Ayers, a Rhode Island School of Design grad, is noted for his portraits of Indians.  (John Byrne Cooke almost decapitated me for using the term “Native American,” a term, according to Cooke, coined by wrong-headed white men.) His travels and observations of Iroquois, Sioux and Hopi inform his works, oil paintings on canvas.  I’ve read that he’s influenced by a diverse group of great masters: John Singer Sargent, Gauguin, Klimt, and Henry Tanner.  That list encompasses myriad uses of light and paint; the latter artist’s painting style alone varied extensively over the course of his career.

Jason Rich also chronicles the Western life, but with a focus on cowboys and their horses.  Imbued with an illustrative golden light, Rich’s landscape-cowboy-horse portraits capture ranch life and individual moments of reflection, traversing the plains, resting the herd creekside, riding the range under endless skies fluffed by cumulous clouds.    His love of ranch life springs from his own childhood on a Utah farm.

For additional information contact Legacy Gallery at 307-733-2353 or maya@legacygallery.com.

Item #2 :   O’Connor at Galleries West

E.C. O’Connor’s solo exhibition, “Willing: Saying Yes to the Road Less Traveled,” is featured at  Galleries West, August 6-19. The show highlights O’Connor’s productive Joshua Tree National Park residency, as well as landscapes painted in the Greater Yellowstone region.

Talented Jackson Hole artists of all ilk often go about their day-to-day lives unnoticed.  O’Connor is one: she waits tables at Nora’s, landscapes, and does her fair share of outreach work in and around the valley.   But, as has previous posts have reported, O’Connor is an accomplished landscape painter recently awarded the coveted Joshua Tree residency.   At Joshua Tree, the artist created many new works–one painting will become a permanent part of that park’s collection.

“Many people perceive undeveloped areas as valueless and inhospitable,” says O’Connor.  “In no place is this more true than in our nation’s deserts. My goal is to show the inherent beauty within a very harsh environment.”

She is a passionate on-location painter; no painting from photographs for her.   As McHuron likes to do, O’Connor paints the “wow.” Her light recalls that of such master painters as Maynard Dixon, E. Martin Hennings and Edgar Payne.

An artist’s reception happens August 6,  5-8 PM.  O’Connor will be in attendance–yay, I finally get to meet her!–and  hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, and the gallery’s hallmark chocolate fountain will be available.  Call the gallery at 307-733-4412 or visit www.gallerieswestjacksonhole.com.

Galleries West twitters.  You can also follow the gallery on Twitter (www.twitter.com/gallerieswest) and their page on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/gallerieswest).

Item #3

Mary Roberson opens her new show, Nature is the Life of the Dream, at Altamira Fine Art on Thursday, August 6.  A reception will be held 5:00-7:00 pm.  More on this exhibit in my next post, but don’t miss what promises to be a good kickoff for a special show.  connect@altamiraart.com.

Item#4

Jackson Hole Center for the Arts’ founder John Tozzi and Center resident Dancers Workshop Artistic Director Babs Case are 2009’s Winners of the Award for Creativity.

Case’s 11-year devotion to Dancers’ Workshop has transformed a small, back-office company into a state-of-the-art outfit. DW provides dance classes and performances for all ages, all tastes; its electric current and constant vivacity are one of Jackson’s main creative arteries.   It’s all due to Case, who, in addition to  her dancing and directing, is an accomplished visual artist.  It could be said that Case ignited finding new venues for artists not able to appear in galleries, with her popular summer “Harpo’s Art Fair,” a day-long fun arts n’ picnic in Bab’s back yard.   Fun like Alice’s Wonderland fun.    Jodeen Tebay beautifully writes, “while dance is what brought Babs to the community, space is her true passion. On the stage, on paper, in textiles, in architecture, and in life she sees and creates beautiful compositions of space.”

Nobody deserves this award more than Babs Case.  Congratulations, Babs!

Congratulations to, to co-winner John Tozzi, without whom Jackson would not have the magnificent Jackson arts hub, the Center for the Arts.   Said Bruce Hawtin, “It is at times difficult to be creative and make a living. Because of John, the arts, all of the arts in Jackson Hole, have a home; therefore they have a place to be creative. That doesn’t spell success but it removes one of the obstacles.”

The Cultural Council of Jackson Hole invites everyone to attend the 15^th Annual Award for Creativity Celebration on Thursday, September 10 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. at Dancers’ Workshop’s Studio 1 in the Center for the Arts. 2009 recipients will be presented with awards made by a local artist. This year’s artist is Laurie Thal.

Jeff Ham and Malcolm Furlow open a new show, “The West – Expressions in Color,” August 1 - 15, at Mountain Trails Gallery. An artists’ reception takes place  Thursday,  August 6,  5-8 p.m.  Mountain Trails is ensconced in its new space, on the northeast corner of Jackson Town Square.  Haven’t been in?  Now’s your chance–both artists will be on hand.

Is it me, or does this gentleman look angry? Ham portraits have conveyed pride, spirituality…check his earlier  big, brightly painted, delineated portraits.  They’re thinking, “I’m huge.  I’m beautiful.  I’m iconic.”   Now, paint is thrown in the face of confidence, a bloodied history is realized, and Ham’s “Blue Indian” is tear tracked, a devastating accusation in his eyes.

This evolved perspective is a good reason to check out Ham’s new works.    His color and composition spring from a background in illustration — Ham is a Disney veteran.

“I do my best to translate emotion and feelings into color and communicate my individual interpretation of each subject,” he explained. ”My goal is to capture spontaneity. As an artist I am learning to express myself in an honest and straightforward manner.”

Malcolm Furlow wears a coat of many painting colors; his vivid canvases reflect a love of the outdoors, landscape, Western history, cowboys and wildlife.

Furlow lives and works primarily at his northern New Mexico ranch. Sitting under the pinion trees provides  peace and solitude that feed his creative soul.   I remember a story about a bull, Ferdinand, who sat under a cork tree smelling flowers, away from all the other sparring, fighting bulls.   It’s a story of peace.  307.734.8150.

Item #2:

Lyndsay McCandless plans on pulling out another First Friday this month.  She’s got rocker Charlotte Potter and Friends set to play at Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary on Friday, August 7.

That’s great music.   Drove by the gallery the other day, and McCandless still has works up; she’s not done.   Perhaps she should just turn it all into a nightclub?   A coffee house?   We don’t have a coffee house. The kind with beatnik poets and red checked table cloths.  Maybe Mike Bressler would show up and do a reading.  Pay for his food.  We don’t have a university town bookstore/bistro kind of place, where ensembles play cellos in the corner, and there are shelves and shelves of things to read, book-related items to buy, newspapers from around the world, AND art on the wall…ALL IN ONE PLACE.   Breakfast would be nice, too.

Give 10% to the Art Blog, please.   (nod, nod, wink, wink!)

PS:  Lyndsay McCandless is promoting her new venture, SLAM, a farmer’s market for artists taking place on Saturdays, at 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, at the gallery.  Finish up at the Town Square Farmer’s Market, then head on over to Jackson Street.   734.0649.

Item #3

CIAO Gallery’s deadline for entry to Nocturnes: Art Inspired by the Night was July 31, but give gallery director Michelle Walters a call if you missed it.  Walters tells me that anyone applying for CIAO exhibitions can do so online, via the gallery’s website.  “Nocturnes” opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, August 22.

CIAO’s next deadline, for its 2nd Annual Call of the Wild is August 7th.  The show will run during Fall Arts Festival week.  Check the website’s “Call to Artists” tab.   For more information contact Walters, or visit www.ciaogallery.com.

If you missed, as I did, the opening of “People of the Plateau: Native American Photography by Edward S. Curtis,” on loan to the Art Association from the University of Wyoming Art Museum, you have through May 25 to see this historic collection of photographs of Native Americans.   Curtis’s great work, “The North American Indian,” is 20 volumes in length, with 20 portfolios of over 700 copperplate photogravures. The exhibition is on display upstairs, in the ArtSpace Loft Gallery.

Terry Winchell, owner of Fighting Bear Antiques, opened the show April 10th.

The magnitude of Curtis’ work cannot be overstated. It brings together myriad people and languages.   I’m grieved to have missed Winchell’s talk, and in an effort to assuage myself and learn more about Curtis, I did a bit of research. I found a wonderful site, Edward S. Curtis’s “The North American Indian”/Edward S. Curtis in Context.

There you will find five other pages that together provide an excellent context on Curtis: A biographical timeline for Curtis; Curtis and the North American Indian; The Myth of the Vanishing Race; Curtis as Pictorialist and Ethnographic Adventurist; and a map of the North American Indians as experienced by Curtis.

Mick Gidley, Professor of American Literature, School of English, University of Leeds, England’s essay on “The North American Indian” is excellent.  Here is an excerpt:

“But when the seeming white brother appeared on the mesas of Arizona in the sixteenth century, the Hopi had been expecting him for hundreds of years. That is, they had an extensive history quite their own, and a corresponding literature. Indeed, all of the Indian peoples–however much the coming of horses and other later imports affected the bases of their cultures–had a history, a religion, a system of government, social customs, handicrafts, and myths and songs of their own which predated the coming of white people among them. Edward Sheriff Curtis’ The North American Indian was a truly magnificent effort to record a vast amount of very many of these aboriginal cultures. Published between 1907 and 1930 in twenty volumes of illustrated text and twenty portfolios containing more than seven hundred large-sized photogravures, The North American Indian, which was issued in a very limited edition and sold rather expensively on a subscription basis, contains millions of words: descriptions of homelands; accounts of religious beliefs that some might find strange; accounts of tribal organizations ranging from the aristocratic to the casually democratic; records of ceremonies so subtle in their significance, or so seemingly bizarre, that an alien eyewitness could easily not understand what it all meant; versions of haunting myths, songs and stories; descriptions of domestic chores and of intricate and skilled arts and hunting practices; and heroic tales of arms and men. In short. The North American Indian is a monument in words and pictures to a range of cultures which most white men could not or would not see.”

She may have already sold it, but Mary Schmitt and Cayuse Western Americana have obtained a hand made Sioux beaded horse neck ornament.  Dating from the late 19th century, it is, according to Schmitt, the only known neck cover on the market since 1989.  “Very few exist in museum collections,” she says.

After the Civil War, beading became more and more popular; outside influences increased, and Americans, other than Indians, collected and bought beaded goods.  Tribes were more relegated to reservations and time available for beading and crafts increased.   Designs changed, and the American flag motif was developed.

But finding such an excellent specimen is “…a once in a lifetime occurance,” says Schmitt.

Cayuse Western Americana is located at 255 N. Glenwood, Jackson, Wyoming. Phone 307.739.1940 or 800.405.4096