Jackson Hole Art Blog

Lately, plein air painter Jen Hoffman has been screeching.  “Scree!”  I suspected she’d mistaken herself for a hawk, but she’s just excited about the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s upcoming exhibit, Birds of Sage and Scree.  Twenty-seven paintings by artist Greg McHuron with correlating text by writer and conservationist Bert Raynes will be on display.  The show opens Thursday, March 4, 2010 and as  Raynes and McHuron wouldn’t think of not having a party, there is one!  The party starts at the Museum at 5:30 pm, with a targeted end time of 7:30 pm.    I predict a packed house.

Are there two more admired and loved men in Jackson? Two figures whose passions are never dimmed, whose work is more purely motivated…devoid of narcissism?  I don’t think so.  Franz Camenzind is the only activist/conservationist/artist who holds a candle.  These spiritual leaders follow their muse, waking up daily considering and honoring the natural beauty surrounding us.  They wonder what they can do next to help it all along, and they don’t think about how they might benefit professionally or politically.

Back to the point, the show.   McHuron’s paintings and Raynes’ text are combined in a book, also titled Birds of Sage and Scree. This party celebrates that book’s upcoming Spring 2010 release, the finish line to a collaborative quest.   All proceeds derived from book sales will benefit the Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund. That organization’s mission is to “…initiate, augment, or simply fund projects or activities to help maintain viable and sustainable wildlife populations into the future, especially in Wyoming and Jackson Hole, through support of research, education, habitat protection and habitat restoration.”

A Raynes-McHuron collaboration provides an excellent in-your-hands example of the power of connection between nature and art.  Wildlife art nurtures love for, and engagement with, the natural world.  This show and the book are beautiful, and they are a tool.  The exhibition is also an opportunity for NMWA to  “…highlight two long-time supporters of the Museum,” says Museum President and CEO James McNutt. “The show furthers the Museum’s mission to inspire visitors to examine both fine art and humanity’s relationship with nature.”

Raynes, with his late wife, Meg, have been recognized for their dedication to conservation and wildlife issues by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, the Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, and the Town of Jackson.   As the book profile on Raynes notes, he “….noticed that some promising bird habitats with difficult access got (little) attention. In particular, Raynes found that students in beginning birding classes tended to avoid scree slopes and attempting to cross expanses of sagebrush. Thus, birds that inhabit these ecosystems are lesser known. (Raynes) has long thought that these birds should be better understood.”

Greg McHuron especially delights in painting en plein aire in locations ranging from northern Alaska to the Grand Canyon. McHuron regularly participates in the Museum’s Western Visions® show and received numerous awards and special recognition from his peers and the Museum. In 2009, his painting Alpine Flush won the Trustee’s Purchase Award.

“I prefer painting…en plein air as the drama and excitement that occurs all around me is difficult to recreate in a studio environment,” notes McHuron.  “When I paint the rapidly changing scenes, I put into each of them the feelings and excitement that I felt while watching the scene unfold. Years of watching, analyzing and learning from nature’s school ground has helped me to understand the interrelations between organic and inorganic entities and how different lighting, seasons and locations affect how they look and react. If I can capture that particular feeling, I know that those viewing my works will come to feel some of the emotions and excitement that motivated my wanting to record this particular fleeting moment.”

Birds of Sage and Scree remains on display through April 18, 2010.   Phone the Museum at 307.733.5771.

A poignant holiday note for Jackson Hole’s contemporary arts scene is that two of its best galleries, the Oswald and Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, are closing their doors.   With them go venues for myriad contemporary artists - photographers, painters, sculptors, multi-media artists, crafts people, filmmakers - and the loss pries open, to a greater degree, a cultural chasm our community must strive to close.

Ever entrepreneurial, McCandless and the Oswalds are combining their artist rosters for one great contemporary art sale opportunity.  The two galleries offer up the works of more than 40 artists in a special series of Seasonal events, taking place at the Oswald Gallery, 165 North Center Street:

December 17 & 18, 6-8 pm:  “Art Cocktails”

December 26, 6-9 pm:  “Holiday Party”

December 28, 29 & 30, 6-8 pm:   “Art Talks”

Through the months of December and January, 2010, all proceeds will provide a percentage of art sales as donations to local arts non-profits.  Beneficiaries include the Center of Wonder, the Art Association, Teton ArtLab, Womentum and the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

Press materials feature images of works by Bronwyn Minton, Rick Bartow and Nine Francois.   Check both gallery websites for their complete artist lists, and phone 307.413.4331 for more information.

En-Joy!

Item #2

Galleries West sends word that a new hardcover coffee table book, “Sculpture of the Rockies,” has just been released by the editors of Southwest Art Magazine. The book “surveys the broad spectrum and spectacular variety of current sculpture being created in the Rocky Mountain region.”

“The Rocky Mountain region of the American West is renowned for its natural beauty - rugged, snow-capped peaks, sweeping valley vistas, towering pine trees, delicate wildflowers - as well as its artistic splendor, with many noted sculptors living and working in this area,” herald the book’s publishers.

As many as 97 sculptors have chosen favorite works to share; they also talk about their process and inspiration. The book includes both contemporary and traditional sculpture, even providing a sampling of purely abstract works.   Galleries West will have the books on sale, and suggest you call to reserve a copy. The gallery is offering some special deals on holiday shopping, so jingle their telephone bells (307.733.4525) to find out more.

Galleries West is currently showcasing its annual holiday exhibit, the 7th Annual Little Jewels Holiday Miniature Show, running through January 15, 2010.   An opening reception takes place December 30, 3-8 pm.   In this miniatures show, paintings measure 11×14 inches and smaller; sculptures are 12×12x12 inches and smaller.   Chimney-sized gifts for all!

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.

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.

Two things tend to happen when I’m away from Jackson and checking out cultural venues in other cities: I compare our arts scene to those of the places I’m visiting, and I talk a lot about our arts scene to the people I’m with.

I talk a lot about Jackson’s arts because my friends and family ask me about them.   Many of them have never been to Jackson Hole or either of our neighboring parks, and they want to understand more about what an arts culture in a town our size, in a magnificent and relatively remote region is like.   It’s not easy to describe, but when I finish trying to paint a picture (as it were) of all Jackson’s energy, initiatives, venues and artists, listeners seem impressed Jackson’s art scene is as vibrant as it is.

I’ve just returned from St. Louis. I attended my high school’s reunion, and we had a blast.  I and my friends spent an afternoon exploring the Best of Missouri Art Fair, at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. Nori Obata, a classmate and a member of one of St. Louis’ most prominent arts and architecture family legacies, had a booth.   St. Louis has a bit of a stodgy rep, but let me tell you:  that city’s arts scene is ripping.  Over the past couple of decades millions of dollars have been poured into building the city’s public arts and gardens. And the city’s public has responded enthusiastically. They are engaged, and the Best of Missouri was mobbed.  It was such a big venue, we literally could not find the end of the thing.  And people weren’t just milling, they were spending.   Money was changing hands all over the place.

We weren’t just happy to see a successful art fair, though.  We were all enchanted by the setting, the Botanical Gardens, a bit of Paris in the heart of the Midwest.  Acres of landscaped gardens are made even more magical with the addition of Dale Chihuly glass sculpture installations.  Rather than detract from the traditional and contemporary gardens and plantings, these bubbly, fantastic sculptures enhance.  They are unforgettable.   We didn’t want to leave.

Just thought I’d mention it.

So what happened here in Jackson?  Good stuff!

Results came in from the third annual Jackson Hole Art Auction, for one.  Because I was asked about the auction so much (its reputation is growing, growing!), I’m posting that info.  Seventy-six percent of the 235 lots sold, and the auction–which features Western Art and is jointly hosted by Trailside and Gerald Peters galleries–realized just under $6,000,000 total.   The auction says collectors represented more than 30 states and several foreign countries.  Highlight sale: Bob Kuhn’s painting, “Like the Down of a Thistle,” estimated at $75 - $100K, sold for $299,000.

You can view all the results on the J.H. Art Auction website, www.jacksonholeartauction.com.

Lynday McCandless SLAM update: More artists needed!  Send the word out to your peeps, she says.  Use the Facebook, use the email, Twitter.   Time slot will change to afternoons, 1-5 pm. Additionally, LMC gallery will host artfilm screenings every weekend this month.    PBS’s Art 21 series has a new season, and LMC will screen them Fridays at 6 pm, and Saturdays at 2 and 4 pm.   The series features interviews with contemporary artists working in all mediums. Themes include: compassion, fantasy, transformation and systems.

And, artists, you have homework:  Watch at least one of the videos, then create a work in response.  Next month’s First Friday will feature your creations.   For information, email lyndsay@lmcontemporary.com.

Onion Skins…

National Museum of Wildlife Art Chief Preparator Ron Gessler sends this arts related spoof from “The Onion.” Anything to jump start the arts economy…now, it’s o.k. to touch, scratch and smell the art at the Met.  Read the article here.

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.

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