Posts Tagged ‘Jackson Hole Artists’
“The subject of my works is paint, the motif is the image, the illusions, the beauty of landscape. I never want to forget that what I am looking at is paint on canvas.” ~ Louisa McElwain
Altamira Fine Art opens its summer arts season with Louisa McElwain’s “A Painters Dream,” an exhibition of 19 new paintings by the renowned landscapist. The show runs May 23rd – June 5th, 2012; an artist’s reception takes place Friday, May 25th, 2012.
McElwain, a New Mexico native, describes herself as an abstract artist. This new show advances that claim; and it’s a correct claim. But, as I write this, and as I view her new canvases, I can’t help but think, “Damn, these are radically charged, super-painted works! And they remind me of Vincent Van Gogh’s foaming, tumultuous and emotive paintings.” One of my favorite reference books describes abstract painting as “having artistic content that depends on intrinsic form rather than on pictorial representation.” McElwain is representing these landscapes; we can see them. But a vortex—must be that New Mexico magic—of energy churns up place, color and light in each of her works. In “Extraterrestrial,” pictured above, a supernatural form volcanically takes off from the earth–it’s in the sky, becoming the sky.
Sue Sommers (sue@suesommers.com) has sent out an appeal to anyone able to assist arts advocate Gregory Gaylor, whose studio burned down about a month ago. The fire destroyed his life’s work–all his art–his records, materials and, horrifically, even took the life of his cat. It’s almost impossible to imagine Gaylor’s pain. If you can help Gaylor begin anew, please mail your contributions to this fund, established to help him do just that. Mail your check to: The Gregory Gaylor Art Fund, Rock Springs National Bank, PO Box 880, Rock Springs, WY 82902. You may also email Gaylor your good wishes: kgaylor@sweetwaterhsa.com. Snail mail: 628 B Street, Rock Springs, WY, 82901.
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The Tayloe Piggott Gallery welcomes contemporary artists Celia Gerard and Tadaaki Kuwayama. A reception for the artists takes place Friday, May 18, 5-8 pm. Works remain up through July 10, 2012.
Kuwayama’s work uses simple geometric structure and color–grey and yellow wall panels are juxtaposed against 
cylindrical forms arranged on the gallery floor. There’s a John Cage-like sense of open space and music, of the simple rearrangement and compression of air, made visible through color. “Kuwayama can focus on color, the subtle patina of a green or pink, or silver that emanate across the surface of the aluminum squares or rectangles. Each painting is a presence, a harmonized order of form and color,” says the gallery.
The Teton County Library has selected Brian Brush and Yong Ju Lee’s Filament Mind as its new lobby entrance (designed by Gilday Architects) public art installation.
“Suspended threads of gossamer fiber optic cables will span the length of the new lobby, and each thread connects on the wall next to the label of a unique library subject category,” says the Library. “The cables will interface with the library’s own “mind,” the Wyoming State Library catalog. Each time a library user throughout Wyoming searches a person, place, idea or book, an individual fiber optic thread fires a glowing light or color related to the library subject category returned from that search. In this way, Filament Mind resembles a luminous “connectome,” or map, of synaptic brain activity, firing away the thoughts of people extended through the mind of the library.”
An opening reception takes place 5-8:00 pm at the Tayloe Piggott Gallery on Wednesday, April 18th, for Jackson artists Susan Thulin and Suzanne Morlock. The joint exhibition, currently on display, remains up through May 15, 2012. It’s a rewarding acknowledgement of Jackson’s art talent when such sophisticated venues are produced on behalf of local artists. Thulin’s highly textural, rhythmically painted canvases and Morlock’s undulating, tactile weavings are well paired.
Morlock’s show title, Pasalubong, is a Filipino word referring to the the tradition of bringing gifts when one goes to visit another person at their home. The visitor, in turn, returns to their own home bearing gifts they’ve received during their visit. The works depart from Morlock’s large installation pieces, and are more intimate in scale so as to be “enclosed” by the gallery’s space.
On the evening of March 9, at 5:30 pm, the Art Association presents its popular fundraising sale, Whodunnit?, at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts Theater Lobby.
An annual favorite, Whodunnit? is a one-night event, exhibiting and selling many dozens (that’s my best estimate) of small works (6 x 6 inches) that sell for $99 each at the close of the evening. The twist is two-fold: 1) Artist identities are unknown 2) Works are sold by lottery to one of the list of bidders listing their name as wanting to purchase the art. Artists’ identities are revealed at the end of the evening, once works are purchased. Bidders might go home with works by well-known local artists, or participating artists from around the country. Some of the finest works are created by folks not necessarily familiar to Jackson’s arts community.
Are you able to recognize many local artists’ styles? Well, you may guess correctly about who created what some of the time…but usually, there are many surprises. Artist names known, artists names not-so-known; it doesn’t matter, the talent and diversity of works speak for themselves. Check it out! www.artassociation.org
