Jackson Hole Art Blog

“Planning in the West,” the second annual conference on the topic of Intermountain West development, takes place in Boise, Idaho, June 2-3, 2010. The conference is billed as featuring “leading planners, policy-makers, architects, developers, and landscape architects from around the Rockies….to track planning and development trends, showcase best practices, and understand how thoughtful and place-inspired planning can help us shape our region in the most positive possible ways.”

Planning in the West’s keynote speaker is Mark Muro, of the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C. based public policy think tank with a mission to  “conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations that advance three broad goals:

• Strengthen American democracy;
• Foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans and
• Secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system.”

Muro studies intermountain economic trends; you can find “Mountain Monitor – Tracking Economic Recession and Recovery in the Intermountain West’s Metropolitan Areas” when you do a search on the Brookings Institute website.  The study tracks trends through the fourth quarter of 2009.  It looks at large metropolitan regions (Denver, Boise, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque), and smaller areas (Reno, Fort Collins, Las Cruces, Boulder); but transpose Muro’s larger points on intermountain real estate booms, education, and diversity of economic base to Jackson’s profile, and you will get a pretty good idea of the pace of economic recovery Teton County might expect, and why.

Soft Opening for Heather James Gallery

Heather James Fine Art opens its doors at 172 Center Street, Suite 200, next door to Altamira Fine Art, in April.  This month’s opening is soft.  Lyndsay McCandless has been hired as the gallery’s director.

“We welcome our new neighbors, Heather James Fine Art, to the Center Street art district,” says Altamira Executive Director Mark Tarrant. “This is an important addition to the Jackson art market, providing the quality of fine art that people expect when visiting Jackson.  We are working with the gallery’s director, Lyndsay McCandless, and planning cooperative events that will set the pace for the Jackson experience.”

Based in Palm Desert, California, the gallery “represents a world-class spectrum of art-bridging genres including Impressionist and Modern, Classical Post-War and Contemporary, American and Latin American, Old Masters, design, cutting-edge contemporary and photography.”

A partial list of artists the gallery represents includes American artists Marion Kavanagh Wachtel, Oscar Bluemner and Irving Norman; Latin American artists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, Francisco Zuniga, Naum Knop and Marta Minujin; and Impressionist/Modern masters Berthe Morisot and Alberto Giacometti.

A friend passed along a recent local art “review” —perhaps “commentary” is a better word — concerning the closing of the Oswald Gallery.

I’ve been criticized for some of my own commentary, and I know the sting of having someone in our close Jackson community express strong negative feelings about what I’ve written.   I also believe that the First Amendment is one of our most precious charges.  Thou shalt not shoot the messenger.

The piece I’m referring to was particularly bizarre.  Is the writer trying to be facetious?  If so, the effort fails.  (Sign up for Satire:101)  Here’s why:   The writer, an artist, should know better than to characterize all art galleries as a whorl of  “…musicians, models, artists, writers, homosexuals, and wealthy patrons milling around in unbearable hipness…….”

(Dude.  You have a show about rap artists interpreted as holy gospel singers.   Which isn’t such a stretch, but it’s certainly hip-hoppity.)

If, in fact, he’s pretending not to know about the gallery business, he did a good job.   If he really knew, and his writing was up to par (not saying mine is, I know my limits) we’d read his piece and think, “What a great skewering of the art scene!  Brilliant!”

That didn’t happen, so I’m going forward with this post taking the position he really doesn’t know.  If he does know, he should build himself a much, MUCH bigger platform before venturing out into such territory.   Think Woody Allen.   Or Colbert.  Or Tracy Morgan.   Or Mike Bressler!  Catch the Shouts & Murmurs “Cursing Mommy” column sometime.

The writer goes on:  “There would always be plenty of blow and smack at hand and somehow the entire enterprise makes money and garners international acclaim.”

Are you a kid?  Or are you just brain dead from your early days spent snorting and writhing around on the floor at Studio 54? Stuff happens, but this ain’t the 80’s.  I understand Leya is fond of you, and she may share some of your views, and you are lucky to have someone as professional and savvy as Leya in your corner.    But for those not in on your “inside” stuff, what you write is not cutting it.

“If any of you vultures reading this article want to save 25 to 50 percent on some really nice picture frames, now is the time.”

How much will your art be worth in a few years?  If your stuff doesn’t sell, by what method will you toss the carrion into the yard? Maybe you’ll go “Ebay.”

We are in a Great Recession.  Not a mild recession, a GREAT RECESSION.   Picassos are selling.  Big stuff.  Because people with that kind of money can buy as much as they like, and are.   Many galleries are having their artists size down their work, to make it more affordable.  And we’re talking about all levels of artists, all genres.   Travis Walker does a great job of coming up with innovative ways for his artists to sell, and new collectors to collect.

There’s quite a bit of information on the art market out there.  Why don’t you read some of it?

I won’t touch the Wilson/butlers in the basement bit.

“Leya looks great in black, and I did not imagine anything beyond that was necessary for success in the art world.”

Perhaps you should apply for a gallery intern job this summer.   You will be lucky to get hired, even for free, but give it a shot.

“We are still surrounded by landscape paintings, of moose in front of the Tetons or Indians painted by white people.  So obviously Americans prefer art that does not make us think but rather reinforces stereotypes and clichés.”

By that logic, people would be buying landscapes and wildlife art in SoHo.

Why are YOU here in Jackson Hole?  It can’t be because of intense city energy, urban infrastructure and sounds, interstate highways and their traffic, or cultural diversity.

Maybe you’re here to snowboard?    On big mountains, surrounded by wildlife?

Can you name the photographers Oswald has carried since the day they opened?  Lots of landscape shooters……and damn, they’re hip!  One of Leya’s favorite photographers, Nine Francois, is largely about portraits of animals from the wild.  They aren’t in the wild, I don’t believe, when Francois takes her photos, but they are, at their core, wildlife.   I mean, this is the West.  If we were in Key West, what would you see?   Santa Fe?  Cape Cod?  San Antonio?  Art is a reflection of place.

What do you imagine people visiting Jackson Hole and the Parks want to think about while they are here?   What do you think they want to take back with them, and why?  I don’t have statistics, but my experience tells me that wealthy locals, many with several homes and access to all art markets, buy much of Jackson’s contemporary art.   We certainly need our contemporary arts in order to thrive.  I adore them.  I even like your work, but I’ve deleted my story about it because I feel what you are writing for your newspaper is toxic, bitter and scary; it may even foreshadow some violent act.   I hope your newspaper takes heed.

Most visitors buy art here for reasons having to do with the unmatched experiences they have in Wyoming.  And many collectors buy  representational and abstract or contemporary art.    Because it all has value.

Pop quiz: Who was Edward Curtis?

I like the way this new show of hot art screens and still photography by filmmaker Peter Pilafian has come together: it’s been very “techno.”  I have lots of “techno” feeling notes—why am I thinking of Astro Boy? Why, when I’m featuring Peter’s image of melting glacier ice that resembles molars?

Peter Pilafian’s new show is up at Elevated Grounds, on the Teton Village Road.  An opening reception takes place December 5, and you should be prepared to see something completely different.  Comprised of thematic groupings, Pilafian plans to explore such stimuli as Texture, Indigenous Portraits, Architecture, Shadows and Landscapes.

Watching Pilafian define and curate, I began thinking of these thematic groupings as a series of reflective pools. Fluid videos surrounded by a string of photographic pearls.  The show offers a glimpse, in National Geographic style, of some of Pilafian’s memorable earth journeys.

The exhibition will feature as many as five hot art screens and a selection of still photographs taken around the world.   A Delphi tablet, aged city walls of Havana, coffee farmers, Irish fiddlers, evocative shadows, orange trees and images of Athens are all part of the multi-layered story Pilafian wishes to tell.  High definition BluRay DVD footage provides vivid, crisp focal pointsPilafian plans on framing his videos as a painter frames canvases.  Why not frame moving landscapes?  Pilafian’s images are part of Grand Teton National Park’s Lawrence Rockefeller Preserve Visitor’s Center installation; consider that sensory exhibit and you will get a feel for this show.

Contact Peter Pilafian via email at: ppilafian@earthlink.net.

Item #2:

Ring-a-ding-ding!

Dancers’ Workshop’s 2nd Annual Affordable Art for Christmas Sale takes places Saturday, December 5, in the Center for the Arts Theater Lobby.  The sale runs 11:00 am -  5:00 pm and is open to all.  It’s free!

DW’s Alissa Davies tells us fifteen local arts vendors will be on hand, offering holiday arts and craft items.  Jewelry, paintings, bags, and knit items (fingerless gloves!) neck warmers and hats are specialties of this sale;  proceeds help support DW dance programs.

Price points are in line with a Scrooge-like economy – everything on sale is priced between $1 and $99.  A DW holiday rehearsal will be taking place on stage in the theater, a joyous treat.    For more information, call DW’s offices, at 307.733.6398.

Trailside Galleries Home for the Holidays Miniature Show presents a Santa-sized bag full of miniature paintings this December.  Beginning December 1, and running through December 31, Trailside’s East Broadway gallery showcases works sized for your stocking by many of its artists.

“Subjects could be the sweeping landscapes of the West or the neighboring wildlife native to North America.   Many genres and mediums will be represented and collectors can be sure to find a wide variety of fabulous miniature paintings—perfect for the holiday season,” says Trailside’s Cara Kelly.

The gallery hopes this selection of small painting “jewels” will speak to our love of the region’s special beauty, its sense of home and the pleasures of being surrounded by family and friends.  The holidays are also a time for transformation and receiving nature’s oft intangible messages of hope, nourishment and love, as well as awareness of all that sustains us.

Trailside Galleries will be open every day during December, with the exception of Christmas and New Year’s.  For information, contact Cara Kelly at cara@trailsidegalleries.com.

Shhhhh.  It’s a silent auction.

The 15th Annual Out of the Woods Silent Art Auction, an Art Association favorite, takes place Friday, November 20th, 6-8 pm at the Center for the Arts Theater Lobby.

We don’t have Todd around, but we still have his “shhh!”  A sort of an in-house ‘palates and palettes’ arts event, the evening promises a throng of art-lover clamoring for food, wine and….local art.  Artists donate works, and the public bids on art of all kinds, via a silent auction.  It’s loads of fun, and all proceeds raise money for the Art Association’s Educational Programming.

On your mark, get set…..start shopping!  For information, contact Amy Fradley at 307.733.8792 or email amyf@artassociation.org.

Also at the Art Association – specifically upstairs in the Artspace Loft Gallery – check out “Little Cayman,” on display November 13 – December 31, 2009.

Drool and live vicariously through News & Guide grand dame Liz McCabe, who has been visiting Little Cayman. The exhibit is billed as a collection of visions of the south seas idyll by McCabe, Jon Stuart, Laura McWethy, Tom Montgomery and others.

If they need someone to carry their bags, they should give me a call.  www.artassociation.org.

Item #2:  Thal Glass

Glass blower Laurie Thal blows and fires her magic goblets, vases and vessels in her Teton Village Road studio.  Every fall -or early winter, depending on how you experience November -  she hosts a holiday open house, and this year’s holiday event takes place Saturday, November 21, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. This is a free event, and a fun excursion for the whole family.

Thal will be there, giving demonstrations and answering questions–the studio is typically stocked with a variety of glass items, in a variety of sizes and price points and a veritable rainbow of colors.

Thal has not supplied a contact phone number, but click on her website–linked above–for more information and a good look at her wares.

San Francisco Bay area artist Mari Andrews returns to Jackson later this month;  specifically to the J.H. Muse Gallery, where she will attend a gallery reception to celebrate her new catalogue on Friday, October 16.    The exhibition, “Paperless Drawings,” will be on display at the Muse October 14 – November 30, 2009.   Andrews will give a talk about her work during the reception.

Though she creates sculptures, Andrews refers to her works as drawings.  Looking through her work on line, many of her works do appear to be sketches on paper, not photographs of three-dimensional installation pieces.  Organic and whimsical, these works also convey a respect for nature’s mysteries.  And they reveal a true understanding of the forces and universal shapes and forms common to all living things.  “Lefty,” pictured above, is a happy and transparent worm hole.  A funnel-shaped, petaled aperture extends itself, and if you watch and wait, you sense a sucking force capable of pulling matter through the aperture, down and around a curved tunnel.  Whatever is pulled through gets popped out the other end, much as an air gun pops out a ping pong ball.

Or, this sculpture might just represent a wicked pitching arm trajectory.

Andrews, as part of a very large family, grew up looking for some solitude and spends lots of time cataloging and gathering the objects she uses in her art.  “Her deep engagement with materials both natural and man-made implies continuity with a common source and the unifying energy that flows to us from the world and back again,” says the gallery.

I see a bit of humor, too.  And that’s a very good thing.  A smile in the art offers us an “incredible lightness of being.”   For more information, contact the J.H. Muse Gallery: 307.733.0555.

Last week’s J.H. News & Guide’s Stepping Out section featured a story on two young entrepreneurs.  Artemus Huhn and David Dahlin have founded an arts consulting biz for local art, the Art Vibe Project.    They’re matching up retailers with local artists’ works.   Good stuff.

Now, what about that idea we wrote about (The News & Guide put up this writer’s letter to the editor on the subject, thank you NaG!) some months back, of filling empty store spaces with local art?  We cannot find too many venues for that.   Here’s a reprint of that letter, a letter inspired by Berkeley, California’s downtown arts initiative.

Window Dressing

Downtown Berkeley, California is transforming its empty storefront windows by using them to exhibit local art.  The practice lightens commercial spaces darkened by the economic downturn.  The program was the result of year-long talks between that city’s Office of Economic Development and the Downtown Berkeley Association.

Our growing artist population works hard to secure exhibit space; why not give them some free space while creating displays to enliven Jackson’s business center as we enter our summer season?  Individual property owners ideally donate their window space.   Artists get exposure, windows are lively; exhibits would reflect Teton County’s environs, talent and values, and our real estate looks good.    Win, win, win.

Berkeley’s exhibits include a large amount of children’s art, particularly work from the Habitot Children’s Museum and local high school students.

This program is something the Jackson Chamber could embrace, and it supports an economic sector requiring creative solutions.   This program may be most valuable for emerging artists; I’m guessing, though, that galleries will want to participate.  If they do, they should release commission duties resulting from a “window sale,” but a variety of collaborative models are possible.

Such a program affords storefront businesses some fine public relations opportunities. Windows might display several artists simultaneously.  Rotate your window art.

Let’s use this sagging economy to find new answers for Jackson’s arts, and let’s allow other community examples to inspire us; most certainly, we inspire them.

2009 Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Schedule of Events

(Note: This calendar reflects ongoing and slated events beginning Wednesday, Sept. 16.  For a complete calendar of events,  visit www.jacksonholechamber.com)

SPECIAL NOTE:  R. Tom Gilleon, 2009’s Fall Arts Festival Poster Artist, will sign posters of his painting “Yellow Leaves Moon” (50″x50″ oil), above, at ALTAMIRA FINE ART, a change from original venue plans.  Prior to the Fall Arts Festival, the painting is on display at the historic Wort Hotel, in Jackson.  See details below for Wednesday, September 16. Galleries West Fine Art

7th Fall Round Up
This annual Fall Arts Festival group show features new works by all of Galleries West artists. Please note:  Artists’ reception takes place during the Wednesday (September 16) night ART walk.

Galleries West Fine Art, 307-733-4412 www.gallerieswestjacksonhole.com

The Best of Astoria, September 11-20th
Includes the 2nd Annual Greg Beecham Wildlife Showcase. Astoria Fine Art, 307-733-4016, www.astoriafineart.com

J.H. Art Association: Members Only Exhibition
View  an eclectic and extensive body of work by hundreds of talented Art Association members.   On display through November 30.    Check it out at the Artspace Lobby Gallery, Center for the Arts.

Mountain Trails’ “American Visions Group Show”

Running Sept.  1-20.  The show features all Mountain Trails artists, with several being on hand and demonstrating throughout the Festival.  These artists are:  Carrie Fell (Grand Opening), Ken Rowe, Buckeye Blake, Jeff Ham and Vic Payne. Call Lisa Shannon for details!  Her phone:  307.734.8150.

A Horse of a Different Color Gallery:
Toland Sand
Celebrate Toland Sand, an internationally known glass artist. His medium is cold-worked glass, the creation of glass sculpture by constructing three-dimensional forms. On display through September 30.  307-734-9603

Wednesday, September 16

Jewelry and Artisan Luncheon at Teton Pines

In conjunction with the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Western Visions Show & Sale, enjoy an elegant luncheon at Teton Pines Resort & Country Club. Artisans (jewelry, fiber and leather) preview and sell their handmade goods. Ladies only! Register by September 10, 2009 by calling 307-732-5412.

11:00am – 4:00pm.
$100 per person or $500 per person for a package including Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday plus other Western Visions events.
www.WesternVisions.org

Gallery ARTWalk   5:00-8:00 pm
Join more than 30 Jackson art galleries for the special Wednesday ARTWalk. Enjoy fine art and experience the vibrant Jackson art scene. Look for the ART walk banners!  Various locations, see gallery map, 5:00-8:00pm, open to the public.

Poster Signing with Tom Gilleon at Altamira Fine Art
3:00-5:00 pm
Meet Fall Arts Festival poster artist Tom Gilleon and receive a personally signed poster of his featured painting, “Yellow Leaves Moon.” Altamira Fine Art, 3:00-5:00pm, open to the public.  An artist’s reception follows immediately after.   307-734-8150.

Galleries West Fine Art, 5:00-8:00pm
Reception for the 7th Fall Round Up. Meet and visit with many Galleries West artists.
307-733-4142, www.gallerieswestjacksonhole.com.

Thursday, September 17

Wild West Preview Party 6:30-10:30 pm
As part of the 22nd Annual Western Visions, artists and patrons have an opportunity to view the art, place their ballots, and mingle. The Jewelry and Artisan Show & Sale, Photography Show & Sale and Sketch Show & Sale are also open to the public during this event and the artisans are in residence. The evening includes delicious fare, a full bar and entertainment. Register by September 10, 2009 by calling 307-732-5412.

Location: National Museum of Wildlife Art
$100 per person or $500 per person for a package including Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, plus other events.
www.WesternVisions.org

Center Street Gallery, 5:00-8:00pm
Marshall Noice and Robert Deurloo Show
Marshall Noice is a contemporary landscape oil painter from Kalispell, MT. Robert Deurloo is a wildlife sculptor working in bronze and exotic patinas from Salmon, ID.
307-733-1155, www.centerstreetgallery.com

Friday, September 18

22nd Annual Miniatures and More Show & Sale,  5:30-9:30pm
This is the final opportunity to place bids prior to the evening’s drawing and auction. The evening features hors d’oeuvres and beverage, and most importantly, the names of the winning bidders are drawn. The Jewelry and Artisan Show & Sale, the Photography Show & Sale and the Sketch Show & Sale will be on display and guests are invited to make purchases. Call 307-732-5412. Register by September 10, 2009. Call 307-732-5412.

Location: National Museum of Wildlife Art, 5:30-9:30pm.
$100 per person or $500 per person for a package including Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, plus other events.
www.WesternVisions.org

Legacy of Nature Group Show, 1:00-4:00pm
The Legacy of Nature Group Show featuring wildlife and sporting art. Artists include paintings by Ken Carlson, Luke Frazier, Michael Coleman, Brian Grimm, Chad Poppleton, Julie T. Chapman, Trevor Swanson, Jan Martin McGuire, and sculptures by Ken Bunn and Tim Shinabarger.

Legacy Gallery.  307-733-2353, www.legacygallery.com

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

Jackson Hole Art Auction Preview 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
The Jackson Hole Art Auction is a premier Western Art Auction featuring art from Past and Present Masters of the American West. Historically recognized Western American Art is the focus, including works by the Taos Society of Artists, Deceased American Masters and Top Contemporary Western and Wildlife Artists. The Jackson Hole Art Auction is presented in association with Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery.

Location: Center for the Arts
866-549-9278; www.jacksonholeartauction.com

Saturday, September 19

14th Annual Jackson Hole QuickDraw Art Sale & Auction
9:30 a.m.
Nationally, regionally and locally recognized artists paint and sculpt while spectators look on. Each new artwork will be auctioned off following an hour-long “draw.”  “Yellow Leaves Moon,” 2009’s featured poster artwork by R. Tom Gilleon, will also be auctioned.

Location: Jackson Town Square, 9:30am, open to the public.
Please note 2009’s earlier time slot for this event.

Jackson Hole Art Auction Start: 1:00 p.m.
The Jackson Hole Art Auction is a premier Western Art Auction featuring art from Past and Present Masters of the American West. Historically recognized Western American Art is the focus, including works by the Taos Society of Artists, Deceased American Masters and Top Contemporary Western and Wildlife Artists. The Jackson Hole Art Auction is presented in association with Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery.

Location: Jackson Hole Center for the Arts
866-549-9278; www.jacksonholeartauction.com

Galleries West Open House, All Day
Visit the gallery any time throughout the day for hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Many Fall Round-Up artists will be on hand during the day.

Galleries West Gallery
307-733-4412, www.gallerieswestjacksonhole.com

Trailside Galleries Fall Gold Show, 3:00-6:00pm
This annual event will show new works by all of their gallery artists with special showcases for Kyle Sims (wildlife painter), Lindsay Scott (wildlife artist), Bonnie Marris (wildlife painter), a small grouping by Mian Situ (Chinese figural painter) as well as a small grouping by wildlife painters Adam and Dan Smith.
307-733-3186, www.trailsidegalleries.com.

SPECIAL EVENT:  JACKSON HOLE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE CELEBRATES 30 YEARS WITH “THE ART OF CONSERVATION: 30 ARTISTS, 30 YEARS.”

This event coincides with Jackson’s Fall Arts Festival.   The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance’s 30th Anniversary gala takes place at the Jackson Lake Lodge this evening, beginning at 5:30 p.m.   A live and silent auction featuring works by renowned artists follows, and benefits the Alliance’s across-the-board conservation efforts.   Participating artists want to make a difference, and you can, too.

A highlight of the auction is Robert Bateman’s “Bison,” a limited edition print not commercially available.  A great American icon, the bison remains under stress, a symbol of conservation controversy.  Two works by Bateman, including “Bison,” will be auctioned at 7:15 p.m. The  auction includes oil paintings, watercolors, photography,  bronzes, hand blown glass, ilfochrome, pastels, and more.  Participating artists include:

Huntley Baldwin, Robert Bateman, Elke Bieber, Tina Close, Luke
Frazier, Natalie Goss, Eliot Goss, Jeff Hogan, Henry Holdsworth, Kal
Kallaugher, Fred Kingwill, Thomas Mangelsen, Mimi Matsuda, Pamela
McCool, Greg McHuron, Dee Parker, Mary Rasmussen, Audrey Roll-
Preissler, William Sawczuk, Kay Stratman, Lee Stroncek, Laurie Thal,
Shannon Troxler, Amy Unfried, September Vhay, Mary O. Waid, and
Andrew Weller.

Bidders may register for absentee bidding.  Post-dinner admission is also available.  For information, contact the Jackson Hole Conservation
Alliance office at (307) 733-9417.

• Sunday, September 20

Art Brunch Gallery Walk,  11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Join Jackson’s 30-plus art galleries for brunch and festive beverages at this Fall Arts Festival closing-day celebration!  Brunch, Bloody Marys, and spectacular art.

Various gallery locations, see gallery map, 11:00am-3:00pm, open to the public.

West Lives On Gallery Open House, 10:00am-4:00pm
Featuring over 12 of West Lives On Gallery artists.
307-734-2888, www.westliveson.com.

Monday, September 21

Sleep…………….(All Day)

It’s here!  Can you believe it?   I can’t.   Here we go…Fall Arts Festival starts NOW.

Trailside Galleries’ September line-up is remarkable.   September 1-20th, its annual “Fall Gold” spectacular will showcase an almost impossibly extensive selection of wildlife, cowboy, landscape and other manner of Western art.   The show will be up most of the month; “Fall Gold’s” opening reception happens Saturday, September 19, 3-6:00 p.m. Many Trailside artists will be in attendance, and the list of artists represented in this year’s show is:

Cyrus Afsary, Bill Anton, Wayne Baize, Gerald Balciar, Bruce Cheever, Brent Cotton, Pino Dangelico, Stan Davis, John DeMott, Andrew Denman, Michael Desatnick, Robert Duncan, Nancy Glazier, Michael Godfrey, Veryl Goodnight, Lanny Grant, George Hallmark, Matthew Hillier, Terry Isaac, Joffa Kerr, Francois Koch, Calvin Liang, Z.S. Liang, Mike Malm, Dan McCaw, Danny McCaw, Greg McHuron, Dan Mieduch, Jim Morgan, Brenda Murphy, Scott Myers, George Northup, Ralph Oberg, Dino Paravano, Andrew Peters, Howard Rogers, Sherry Sander, Bill Sawczuk, Lindsay Scott, John Seerey-Lester, Suzie Seerey-Lester, Mian Situ, Ryan Skidmore, Adam Smith, Dan Smith, Tucker Smith, Gordon Snidow, George Strickland, Richard D. Thomas, Kent Ullberg, Curt Walters, Morgan Weistling, Kathy Wipfler, Sarah Woods, David Yorke and Jie Wei Zhou.

Trailside shines a special light on new works by wildlife artists Kyle Sims, Bonnie Marris (she has a gift for portraying grizzlies–check out the work over Emma’s desk, upstairs at J.H. Auction headquarters), Lindsay Scott, Dan Smith and Adam Smith. Each artist will have their own showcase; an artists’ reception will be held for these artists at Trailside on Saturday, September 19th.

If that isn’t enough, Western art legends Mian Situ and Richard D. Thomas will have their own showcases too.

How does Trailside pull all this off?  With a remarkably energetic, devoted staff and two floors of gallery space, which, if you haven’t seen it, is impressive.

Trailside Galleries partners with the Gerald Peters Gallery for the 2009 Jackson Hole Art Auction, taking place September 19 at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts.

For information, email Cara Kelly at cara@trailsidegalleries.com.

If it seems to you as if a certain subject matter is visibly missing from Jackson Hole’s art scene, you’re correct.   Life drawing, the practice of drawing the nude figure, is art’s longest tradition.   Many consider it to be art’s purest subject, and the most difficult practice.

Even so, with all the superior artistic talent in and around Jackson Hole, nude portraiture is rarely publicly displayed.  That’s changing.

Body & Soul II, a group exhibit displaying life drawings by 13 local artists, opens at Galleries West on August 20, running through September 3.    A reception will be held Aug. 20,  5-8:00 pm.

Thirteen participating artists are:  Eliza Chrystie, Eliot Goss, Thais Graham, Lane Griffin, Alissa Hartmann, Jennifer L. Hoffman, Greg McHuron, Susan Nowlin, Lee Carlman Riddell, Shannon Troxler, Kathryn Mapes Turner, September Vhay, and A. A. “Sandy” Zvegintzov.

Gallery owner Debbie Bunch provides context for the history of nude drawing.

“The story of this drawing group has its beginnings in the long tradition of life drawing through the ages,” she says.   “The skill of drawing, and specifically drawing the human form, was considered a prerequisite for all art students in the 19th and early 20th Century academies. By the mid-20th Century, less emphasis was being placed on the craft and mechanics of art study in favor of expressionism and conceptual issues.  As the priorities of the academies changed, life drawing was no longer required study for students.  And less and less artists pursued the practice.”

Participating artist September Vhay notes that, “The intent of this show is to share our artwork with the public and to create an understanding and discussion about the roll that drawing skills play in fine art.”

Valley artist Greg McHuron quietly began holding group drawing sessions at his studio about eight years ago, taking a break while he dealt with a serious cancer threat. (McHuron, if possible, is even more productive post-treatment.)  As Bunch says, most of these artists are not professionally known for figurative work but they share “…a desire to hone their observational skills while studying the light, form, perspective, and proportion that the human body offers, and a belief that the basic skill of drawing is a vital foundation that is too often skipped over by artists today.”

Artists will be in attendance for August 20th’s reception. For more information, contact Galleries West Fine Art at 307-733-4412 or visit www.gallerieswestjacksonhole.com.

Item #2

R. Haworth at Full Circle Frameworks!

Ryan Haworth–whose last name is pronounced “Hayworth,” but who never starred in “Gilda,” or married Orson Welles–(Sorry Ryan, I’m in a strange mood this morning! Must be because it’s my day off.) opens a new group show at Full Circle Frameworks this Friday, Aug. 21.

“Us,” as described by Rocky Vertone, is “… a window into his thoughts during the most active time in his life..at least for now. It touches on fears, belief, humor, beauty, and the urge to do what we love.”    The show remains up through September 9.

For info, give a call to 307.733.0770, or email Vertone at: rockyfour4@gmail.com.

Oh, to be able to split this screen. So many happenings out there, so many stories to tell, talent everywhere, good causes, new spaces and lots of electricity.   Here’s what’s happening tomorrow night, Thursday, July 23, in and around Jackson Hole’s art galleries:

Trio Fine Art’s September Vhay puts her new show, “Passages,” up tomorrow evening; the exhibition kicks off with an artist’s reception 5-8pm, at Trio. From 5-6 pm, Vhay will give a talk, and host a discussion, on the topic of creativity. Refreshments will be served.  Vhay notes her new website address:  www.vhay.com. Click on the small “i” to view images included in her new show.

Trio Fine Art is located at 545 North Cache, across from the Visitors Center.   Phone:  307.734.4444.

Item #2:  Squeak Carnwath’s “Loose Change”

Meet nationally recognized artist Squeak Carnwath this Thursday evening at J.H. Muse Gallery, 62 S. Glenwood.   Carnwath will be signing copies of her new book, Squeak Carnwath: Painting is no Ordinary Object. The book is published in conjunction with this exhibition, and organized by the Oakland Museum of California.

The reception honoring Carnwath takes place 5-8 pm, and I’m certain refreshments will be on hand.   For info:  307.733.0905.

Item #3:  What is the Diehl?

Clarification on Diehl Gallery & Ashley Collins: Tonight, Wednesday, June 22, a fundraising event for the Community School takes place.  Collins is on hand; see previous blog post for details–flip back a page!    Tomorrow evening Collins is again on hand. Stop in and meet meet her during the artist’s reception, 5-8 pm. Diehl Gallery is located at 155 W. Broadway.   Info:  307.733.0905.

Item #4:  Eliot Goss: New Works on Display

Eliot Goss is an architect; he’s also an accomplished painter.  Goss, a familiar presence at the National Museum of Wildlife Art and Ciao Gallery, has new works up around town.

The Wine Loft at The Liquor Store, adjacent to Albertson’s, now has an exhibition of Goss’ exceptional landscapes; they remain on display through July.

And, two miles north of town at NMWA’s Rising Sage Cafe,  more works are on display; these will remain up through summer.  Goss has an excellent, easy-to-navigate website.

Goss paints with an eye to the Arts and Crafts movement; there’s a certain structural organic touch; a simple power.

Another Goss venue:  Galleries West Fine Art’s Body and Soul exhibition, opening at that gallery August 20.

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