Jackson Hole Art Blog

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

Big and tall western landscape painter Greg McHuron is this summer’s second Artist in the Park, and he will set up his easel on Saturday, July 11, 4:00-7:00 pm  at  Colter Bay’s Picnic Area North Beach, in Grand Teton National Park.  Look for the gold van and banner.

Artists in the Park, an annual summer painting tradition produced under the auspices of the Grand Teton Association, provides accessible outdoor arts education for all.   The sessions are free; just show up, set up your chair, and watch our magnificent landscapes come to life on canvas.   You’ll make a good friend of McHuron by bringing him a nice cold beer.   It’s hot out there.

McHuron is an award winning plein-air oil and watercolor artist who has been painting full-time in Jackson since 1975.  One of the founders of the Artist in the Park series, McHuron’s extended backcountry wilderness painting trips are legend. The recipient of many plein air painting awards, his work can be found at Trailside Galleries in Jackson, the Jackson Hole Visitor Center (McHuron’s work is easy to spot; it’s the giant mural depicting wildlife and alpine terrain), and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, among other venues.

For information, contact Liza Millet at 917-864-9395 or the Grand Teton Association, at 307-739-3606.

“The more artists use and understand color, the more they learn about nature; what’s really going on. Why is it doing what it’s doing?  We are painting with knowledge.  We are not guessing.    I used to spend hours studying light on the mountains—why is it doing what it’s doing?

And you ask, why are we painting the same things over and over again?  We aren’t.  Yes, a lot of people paint the Tetons, but if you lined up every one of those paintings, each is different.  Why?  Because either they’re painting the WOW or trying to paint something they can sell for the market.  I’d rather paint the WOW.  I love painting Buck Mountain.   I’m one of the only ones who paint Buck Mountain and I probably own most of my paintings of Buck Mountain.   I’ve only sold two in 36 years.  But I’ll keep painting Buck Mountain because I love painting it. ” - Greg McHuron, Founder, “Artists in the Park”

Fred Kingwill. Greg McHuron. Jennifer Hoffman.  Lee Carlman Riddell.   These are 2009’s Grand Teton Association “Artists in the Park,” and one of these local artists will be on location the second Saturday of every month—June 13 is Kingwill’s stand–so that anyone may watch talented artists put brush to canvas, creating painterly snapshots and adding to the Park’s rich art history.  2009’s painting schedule continues thusly:

July 11 – Greg McHuron

August 8 – Jennifer Hoffman

September 12 – Lee Carlman Riddell

Artists choose a favorite place and time to execute plein air painting demonstrations for the public.  Wonderfully accessible, artists answer questions regarding inspirations and creative processes.  These plein air demonstrations are free to the public.

The  series, officially called the “Art in the Environment Program”, was founded in the early 1970’s by Greg McHuron and Conrad Schwiering as a way to bring the public free access to some of Jackson’s most talented natural artists.  Funded by the Grand Teton Association, the series underlines appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the Grand Teton National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Area.

For over 40 years, Fred Kingwell has been painting his watercolors of the Tetons and other locations.  (We’ve had so much rain I advise checking with GTA about rain dates.)   Weather permitting, you will find Kingwill at the Oxbow of the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park on Saturday, June 13, from 9am-noon. Visitors can park at the Oxbow Bend Parking lot, 2.5 miles from the Moran Park entrance.  Look for the Artist banner.

For information, contact Jan Lynch at 307.739-3406 or Liza Millet at 917.864-9395.

Trailside Galleries turns toward summer like an artist to its muse.   Three related shows take place at Trailside this June:  Salute to Summer, June 1-31; and landscape artists  Robert Moore and Lanny Grant will showcase, in conjunction, at the gallery June 1-30.

The annual Salute to Summer provides a chance to see the latest works by that gallery’s premiere artists. The broad sampling includes works by Gerald Balciar, Bruce Cheever, Nicholas Coleman, Brent Cotton,  John DeMott, Andrew Denman, Robert Duncan, Allen & Patty Eckman,  Michael Godfrey, Veryl Goodnight,   Z.S. Liang, Mike Malm, Bonnie Marris, Buck McCain, Greg McHuron, Dan Mieduch,  Jim Morgan, Bill Nebeker, Gary Niblett, Ralph Oberg, Andy Peters,  Jared Sanders, Bill Sawczuk, Lindsay Scott, Kyle Sims, Mian Situ, Adam Smith, Daniel Smith, Tucker Smith, Richard Thomas, Kent Ullberg, Kathy Wipfler and more.

Robert Moore

Every time I’ve taken a Jackson Hole Art Tours client to Trailside, Moore’s singularly romantic, rich canvases command attention.  Moore’s thick use of paint, his ability to move from warm to cool palettes and back again, his composition and lively landscapes fit a variety of tastes.  Canvases are often large, but there’s a price point for everyone.  Born and raised in the Snake River Valley of Idaho, Moore is a 20-year Trailside veteran, widely collected.

Lanny Grant

Landscape painter Lanny Grant, noted for his mountain vistas, also paints more intimate scenes, such as a sun-drenched hillside blanketed in flowering sage.  A native of the Colorado Rocky Mountain region, Grant’s passion for these western ranges never wanes.

Up to 10 new works by Grant will be on display. The artist was recently asked to be Artist-In-Residence at Rocky Mountain National Park for the 2009 summer season.

Contact Trailside Galleries by Telephone: 307.733.3186
Facsimile: 307.733.0369
Email: cara@trailsidegalleries.com
Website: www.trailsidegalleries.com

E.I. Couse, (1866-1936), "Moonlight"

The third annual Jackson Hole Art Auction will take place Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts Theater. The live auction, a major Fall Arts Festival event,  is a collaboration between Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Galleries.

The auction’s sweep of historic artists includes a rich array of paintings from the Taos Society of Artists, and recognized historic artists whose early visions of America’s West shaped the world’s perceptions of a new and largely unexplored world.   Deceased masters represented in the Jackson Hole Art Auction have included C.M. Russell, Albert Bierstadt, Maynard Dixon–an excellent DVD on Maynard Dixon’s life and legacy narrated by Diane Keaton is available at Trailside Galleries– E. Irving Couse, John Clymer, Bob Kuhn, Carl Rungius and more.   William Acheff, Clyde Aspevig, Robert Bateman–recently the subject of a special retrospective at the National Museum of Wildlife Art–Z.S. Liang, Mian Situ, Howard Terpning and more.

According to press releases, last year’s auction fetched 7.7 million. The auction is currently soliciting consignments for this year’s auction.   Preview works already consigned upstairs at Trailside Galleries, 130 East Broadway. Contact Heidi Theios for more information, at 1-866-549-9278.  email: curator@jacksonholeartauction.com.

February 1-28, 2009, Jackson Hole’s Trailside Galleries presents its annual Wildlife Discovery Show.   As always, the gallery pulls out all the stops to feature works by an impressive list of artists.   Included are Nicholas Coleman, Andrew Denman, Nancy Glazier, Veryl Goodnight, Matthew Hillier, Grant Macdonald, Bonnie Marris, Jim Morgan, Ralph Oberg, Dino Paravano, Sherry Sander, Lindsay Scott, John Seerey-Lester, Kyle Sims, Ryan Skidmore, Adam Smith, Daniel Smith, Linda St. Clair, Richard D. Thomas, Kathy Wipfler and Sarah Woods.

Presentation is everything.  If you’ve yet to experience Trailside’s new space on West Broadway, walk that way.  The gallery’s extensive artist portfolio provides something for everyone, and meandering through Trailside’s nooks and crannies is endlessly rewarding.   The gallery feels like a post-and-beam rustic lodge, with its massive rock fireplaces, Western furnishings and high ceilings. Upstairs, it’s possible to preview works that will be up for sale at the 2009 Jackson Hole Art Auction, produced in conjunction with the Gerald Peters Gallery.

Nancy Glazier’s new works are a February feature; I did not find a direct link to a website for this artist, but Glazier is known for her paintings of North American wildlife in their natural habitat.  She is a conservationist, as many wildlife artists are, recommitting her pledge to protect and study our earth’s wild inhabitants.

For information about Trailside and its exhibitions, email cara@trailsidegalleries.com, or phone 307-733-3186.   Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm ; Sunday – 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

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The Art Association takes a few steps off the path this Friday, November 21, when it holds an opening reception for two long-time Jackson plein air painters:  Greg McHuron and Jim Wilcox.   “Greg McHuron & Jim Wilcox: On Location,” will be on view at the ArtSpace Theater Gallery November 21-January 15, 2009.   Friday’s festivities begin at 5:30 pm.    The exhibition is sponsored by Jackson’s own “Deaf As a Post Lunch Bunch,” with Bert Raynes as “Chief Curmudgeon.”

“Plein air” is the art form meaning ‘painting in fresh air.’  Long time friends and colleagues, McHuron and Wilcox are nationally known artists; their painting lives forever intertwined.   Come pay tribute to these two plein air giants; their work is integral to our region’s great art history, and it is rare to have both artists on hand  simultaneously.     For more information, contact the Art Association at 307-733-6379.

We’ll post more on this exhibit at a later date.

A Post Script:   The Jackson Hole Art Blog will be the subject of a radio interview airing tomorrow  on  The Range Radio (103.7) and The River, ( 92.3 ).   The three-minute program will air three times, between the hours of 7-8:00 a.m., 12-1:00 p.m., and 5-6:00 p.m.

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