Jackson Hole Art Blog

Jackson artists Shannon Troxler and Kay Stratman open their joint show Resonance at Trio Fine Art, with an artists’ reception on Thursday, September 9, 5-8:00 pm.   Troxler and Stratman will host a conversation from 6:30-7:00 pm.   On display September 7, the show runs through September 19, 2010.

“Resonance” refers to the ability to evoke or suggest images, memories and emotions.  Travel, exotic world destinations, equally exotic birds and animals and sensitive interpretations of the natural world comprise this show.   Both artists are painters;  Stratman works in the sumi-e style of watercolor painting, while Troxler uses a variety of painting mediums. Some of her paintings combine oils on silver or gold leaf on board; these works lend an Asian sensibility to Troxler’s work.  She plans to include a completed gold leaf screen in this exhibition.

While Troxler’s work is often big, bold, splashed with color, gilded, and rich—Stratman’s style is minimalist, a haiku. Stratman’s employing sumi-e links the two artists, and the show has a unified theme inspired by ancient Japanese painting traditions.

Trio Fine Art’s Fall Arts Festival calendar also includes artist demonstrations during September 10th’s Palates and Palettes gallery walk, and on September 12 & 14.  Yum, a FAF “farewell” brunch Sept. 19, 11a – 3p. ….Special gallery hours are in effect during the residence of Resonance;  check the gallery for details.   307.734.4444.

Websites I visited that were alternately up and running or works in progress at this writing are:   www.triofineart.com, www.shannontroxler.net and www.kaystratman.com.

Item #2

Robert Coombs is Legacy Gallery’s artist in the spotlight this Fall Arts Festival. September 11-20, immerse yourself in the concept of the Romantic West —  Coombs, a Utah native, is noted for his tender, figurative paintings of women and children.  If you wish, you could say this Western artist has taken a path less traveled by embracing the warmth and humanity that women and children must often provide when life in the West becomes a tad hard bitten.   Coombs paints portraits of the women and children of today’s West, as well as those whose lives are now part of a rich pioneering history.

Coombs says that a life altering event occurred when he viewed the original works of Edwin Austin Abbey’s Shakespearean subjects on display at the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. “For the first time in my life I could actually feel the emotional impact and power that painting could impart. I decided to seek after those attributes in my own work.”   Expect to view at least eight new works.

An artist’s reception takes place September 11, 1-4:00 pm.

Legacy will follow the Coombs showcase with its annual “Legacy of Nature” Group Show and Sale, opening September 17; a reception takes place that day from 1-4:00 pm.   Wildlife is the theme, and this exhibition includes works by these noted artists:  Ken Bunn, Ken Carlson, Julie T. Chapman, Michael Coleman, Luke Frazier, Brian Grimm, Carol Hagan, Krystii Melaine, Eugene Morelli, Chad Poppleton, Tim Shinabarger, George D. Smith, Trevor Swanson, and Brett Smith.

www.legacygallery.com

Item #3

The Art Association continues its relatively new embrace of plein air painting with its exhibition On Location with the Plein Air Painters of America, on display now through September 6, 2010. Fifty paintings will be on exhibition and for sale.  An opening reception takes place September 3, 5:30 pm.

As the Fall Arts Festival connotes romance, so does the Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA) history.  The group was founded in California, inspired by the California Impressionists. Color, light and quality of work are the organization’s hallmarks.

From their website:  “In 1982 Ruth Westphal published the resource book Plein-Air Painters of California The Southland, followed four years later by The Northland. Major collections were being built, and prices for historic paintings were rising. Burns, who was president of the Catalina Art Association at the time, felt the moment had arrived to educate collectors about contemporary artists pursuing the art of painting from life.”

Craig Spankie, a long time Art Association contributing artist, opens his show Export Quality on Friday, September 10, at 5:30 p.m.

“I try to limit my involvement with the materials as much as possible – not destroy the unique nature of something, but create simplicity by combining color, texture and space,” says New Zealander Spankie.  The artist works with raw materials, and quite a bit of lugging and tugging went into shaping this particular show.   Two years in the making, Spankie says that this collection has been put together in Jackson and New Zealand.  A large quantity of work was too large to reasonably transport between the two locations, so Spankie downsized.

The work ended up being “small enough to fit into his checked baggage, that required a maximum weight of 46kg.   Spankie  ”emptied years of collected contents from his shed onto an animal grazed front paddock to create most of Export Quality. Work was proudly created in New Zealand with unique and unsophisticated materials, giving a raw, real sense to the viewer.”

The Art Association notes that due to a special event, this exhibit will not be available to view Sept. 13-16.

Also coming up at the Art Association:  Chuck Close.

www.artassociation.org

The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) has acquired works by two artists new to the Museum:  Contemporary painter Walton Ford, sculptor Simon Gudgeon and an oil painting by 19th-century artist-explorer Titian Ramsay Peale.

At left is Ford’s Swadeshi-cide.  Sixth in a very limited edition of 50, the work is an etching, aquatint, drypoint and roulette on paper.  NMWA has acquired six different prints by Ford; each of those prints is the sixth print in a series of fifty (6/50).

United Kingdom artist Gudgeon’s Isis, a 10-foot bronze streamlined avian piece, will take a prominent spot in the Museum’s now-under-production sculpture trail.   The work is a smaller scale version of Gudgeon’s work installed in London’s Hyde Park. The work is depicted in this blog’s previous post.

“The works of art purchased this year signal the diversity of the museum’s collection,” says Curator of Art Adam Duncan Harris. “Traveling west in 1819, Peale was one of the first artists to record the fauna of what was largely unexplored territory. One hundred ninety years later, contemporary artist Ford is fascinated by wildlife and by the history of depicting those creatures. Coming at the subject from a different angle, Gudgeon hones his representation of avian life to its purest, elemental form, creating a work of power that will be a highlight of our sculpture trail.”

Highly influenced by the artist-naturalists in the museum’s existing collection, including John James Audubon, Ford  is an artist-naturalist, but he adds his own political commentary, “using complex symbols to layer his flora and fauna studies with satire on some of the darker moments in U.S. cultural and environmental history.”  Ford is a Guggenheim fellow and has been featured on the PBS arts program Art:21.

Peale’s “Three Elk” is an example of his “…recalling the animals he saw as the official artist on Stephen Harriman Long’s government expedition to the West in 1819, years before artists such as Catlin and Bodmer ventured up the Missouri in the 1830s.”  It is a paramount example of works by the earliest artists recording Western fauna in a planned reinstallation of the museum’s collection.

www.wildlifeart.org

Item #2

Heather James. I share sentiments that this gallery has so much going on that it’s almost frustrating to those of us keeping up with the arts in Jackson. The new gallery is really several smaller galleries rolled into one cool contemporary space.  It serves Jackson’s art scene—and, during the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival in particular—in more than one way. The gallery presents contemporary art that appeals to naturalists.  It introduces many genres to Jackson not previously accessible.  It exhibits landscapes by great Western artists.  It has on exhibition and display works by the luminaries and legends of art history.

Heather James has the feel of a museum, complete with multiple galleries that you can see in an hour.  And you don’t have to stand in long lines to buy a ticket.

“There is no where else in the world where you can experience two national parks, Picasso and Monet all in one day,” offers gallery director Lyndsay McCandless.

In the realm of artist super stars, Heather James has new works by Léger, Chagall, Picasso, Warhol, Matisse, Morisot, Hofman, Andrew Wyeth, O’Keeffe and more.

One visit is all it takes to taste any and all of the above.  But, most certainly, multiple visits are required in order to truly receive what Heather James has to offer.  These gifts are simultaneous, parallel. Instantaneous.

Forest   for   the   Trees, on exhibit through September 30, 2010, examines the natural world through a variety of contemporary lenses. Though contemporary art dealing with nature can be so detailed as to reveal microcosm, this group of works avoids over-detail in favor of broader interpretations and the meditative sensation we gain from viewing the natural world on relatively large scales. The show, says the gallery, “…addresses  the  concept  of  individuality…as  each artist  expresses (their feelings on) important  topics… such as politics and the environment.”

Wildfires were common in southern California when I was a child. Houses constructed of concrete were amongst the few escaping devastation when fires swept through. For artist Naomi Safron-Hon, a “Forest” contributor, interest in cement as material sprang from “the cement wall that is being built in [her] home country in order to separate Israelis from Palestinians.

“Construction of identity interlaces with construction of landscape. Pushed against lace and domestic materials cement references the way in which political reality infiltrates personal life. War, conflict, and politics penetrate every aspects of daily life, similar to the way cement pushes through lace and kitchen appliances,” says the artist.

Timothy Tompkins’s high gloss enamel paints on aluminum look like topographic maps.  It is surprising to realize the pigments are enamel;  Tompkins’s  works recall Google Earth at its coolest and most fluid; in actuality he photographs television screens as they transmit. “His intent with the series,” says the gallery, “is  to explore  the  use  of  images  as  narrative  and  deconstruct  the  same  narratives  by removing  them  from their original  context.  The   viewer  is  then  free  to  bring  their  own  associations  depending  upon  their relationship  to  what  is presented.”

Log onto www.heatherjames.com and, as you would when visiting a museum, plan on devoting ample time for perusing the gallery.

Item #3

I’ll fly away…

The Diehl Gallery currently features a new series of paintings by artist Dirk De Bruycker.  His new collection is inspired by an emotional, no doubt traumatic, discovery by the Belgian native.  Upon entering his Granada, Nicaragua studio De Bruycker came upon a dead Cocoa Mort Bleu butterfly. Lying on the studio floor, it was consumed by an army of ants.

Overcome, De Bruycker used the beauty and tragedy of the finding and channeled them into a series of paintings.  Liquid crimson pools dissolve across his canvas, melting into “melted butter” yellows, chalky whites and other pale hues.   A butterfly’s wing patterns overlay and link with these color pools, shaped like a butterfly’s wing. They are lovely.

De Bruycker now resides in Santa Fe, where color and natural scales must remain significant influences.

The Teton Literacy Center receives 10% of each sale from this show.  Email: info@diehlgallery.com.

“I just wanted to be an artist in art. I didn’t want to be original. I didn’t want to be different. I wanted to be in that big family. Because of these new ideas of space and time and the computer and women, that whole Pandora’s box was open.” – Judy Pfaff

An initial viewing of  New York artist Judy Pfaff’s collages set in shadow boxes raises questions.   These textured works, delicate all, bear a heavy female scent.  While many women feel tossed about like plankton as they move through life—and its cycles—with as little control as a grain of sand in a rip tide, Pfaff plucks, separates and stores the feminine mystiques.

Construction materials sometimes resemble bodily tissues, or kelp.

Pfaff, a recipient of both a McArthur Fellowship Genius Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, pays a special visit to Jackson with her show I Dwell In Possibility, on display at the Tayloe Piggot Gallery July 12-August 15.  An opening reception takes place Thursday, July 17, 5-8:00 pm.   Piggot met Pfaff through gallery artist Jane Rosen, who “cut her teeth” with Pfaff in New York’s 1980’s art scene.   The three women connected, and Pfaff decided to lend work for this show.

In an interview for PBS’s Art 21 series—and by the way, she’s great interview—Pfaff talks about the tempestuous side of her art.

“I think there’s always a melancholy in the work, though everyone has always thought of my work as being very happy, or jaunty, or—what’s that word I get—an explosion in a glitter factory. There’s always something that seemed carefree, easygoing. I can hardly remember that. I mean I can have a good time and I can be lighthearted.”

Pfaff can, and does, summon a delicate Asian quality in some of the works from this show.  ”Lady Monck” floats like lily pads and scattered cherry blossoms on a pond.

For info: art@tayloepiggotgallery.com           307.733.0555

Item #2:

The Jackson Hole Art Auction 2010 takes place Saturday, September 18, at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts, in Jackson, Wyoming.   We’re specifying location because this auction has, in just four years, become one of the highest grossing Western Art Auctions, with live, absentee and phone bidders across the country, and across the seas.  2009’s auction realized just under $6 million for approximately 240 lots.

Produced by Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery, this is an auction of “past and present masters of the American West.”   The auction’s Jackson headquarters are upstairs at Trailside Galleries—-walk through to the auction desk and displayed auction lots. Registrar Emma Zanetti and Curator Heidi Theios are happy to show you around; you may also register to bid.

Art markets, at this level, remain strong.  Some might say they’re excelling.  Look for works by these and other artists:   William Acheff, Clyde Aspevig, Ken Carlson, Martin Grelle, Bill Owen, G. Harvey, Kenneth Riley, Mian Situ, Howard Terpning, Morgan Weistling, and Z.S. Liang are just a few whose paintings have sold for well over the estimated values.

Look for  important works by the Taos Society of Artists, the Santa Fe Art Colony, as well as historically recognized artists of the American West. Works of special note include a major E.I.Couse, William R. Leigh, Oscar Berninghaus, E. Martin Hennings, and Charlie Dye.

Other highlights of the sale include several works by Bob Kuhn (whose painting of a red fox in winter sold for $299,000 with the hammer price), Lanford Monroe, a new Carl Brenders original, and two magnificent paintings by noted wildlife artist Carl Rungius.

For further information call 1.866.549.9278, visit www.jacksonholeartauction.com or stop by Trailside Galleries at 130 East Broadway, in Jackson.

Item #3:

The Grand Teton Association presents the second of four free plein air summer events on Saturday, July 10, when painter Shannon Thal sets up her easel at the Cottonwood Turnout.  From 9am-Noon that day you can find Thal there—-look for the event banner.  Cottonwood Turnout is the first turnout on the right north of Taggart and Bradley Lakes, in Grand Teton National Park.

Artists in the Park, officially Artists in the Environment, is free and open to the public.

A native of Maryland’s eastern shores, an area known for its artists, wildlife and exquisite fragile ecosystems, Thal moved to Jackson to pursue her love of landscape painting and for the beauty she found here.  She is represented at Horizon Gallery in Jackson and will be a guest artist at Trio Gallery this fall.

Phone: 307-739-3606 or 917-864-9395

Chuck Close Self-Portrait Woodcut, 2009 Woodcut in 47 colors Image Size: 28 x 23 inches Paper Size: 35 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches Edition of 70 Printed by Karl Hecksher Published by Pace Editions, Inc.

Now that Teton Art Lab (TAL) has taken up official residency as a Center for the Arts tenant, with representation on the Center’s website, newsletters, et cetera, TAL’s executive director Travis Walker is announcing some exciting shows.

Though Jackson’s 2010 September Fall Arts Festival is a ways off, TAL has sent word that its FAF highlight will be a show of woodblock prints of the works of famed artists Chuck Close, Richard Estes and Alex Katz.    The show represents the first time these works will be seen in Wyoming.   Each exhibition print is the work of New York City master print maker Karl Hecksher, who will also be teaching a class on traditional Japanese hand printing, Moku Hanga.

The exhibition runs September 10 – October 5, 2010.   Mark your calendars.

Close’s work knocks Walker out.

“In 1998, I saw an exhibition of Close’s work at the MoMA in NY,” says Walker.  “It floored me. I had seen photorealistic work before, such as Richard Estes (also in the exhibit), but what he was doing with these images seemed pretty genius, an Escher like blend of math, art, and science. Close makes big pieces with fingerprints, paper pulp, and overlapping circles of color, that become little abstractions up close, but are photorealistic from a distance. Those fingerprint pieces are especially awesome.”

Walker feels the accessibility of Close’s work appeals to the TAL mission, because its so readily educational.  Walker himself says he’s not previously been exposed to Estes’ photorealism.  “When I was a kid, a Jackson Pollock said nothing to me, but the photorealistic stuff was really amazing, technically. How did they do that?”

Walker says this is an unprecedented opportunity for Jackson residents to work with one of the world’s most noted print makers.   And, he giddily notes, the exhibit is free.

Hecksher is a friend of TAL board member David Gottfried. Schwing!   Hecksher, the founder, owner and director of K5 Editions LLC, has been printing in a variety of media since 1983. He spent the first three years after college as head printer at Prasada Press, collaborating with artists on stone and plate lithography.  In 1986 he became a New York artist, printing editions at several major print studios.

Hecksher’s goal is to establish a more painterly approach to printmaking, one reflective of the individual artist’s touch; to make the print speak clearly and express the artist’s intentions.  He’s been at it for two decades, honing his skills, and working with a full roster of noted artists.

A few years back, Walker took in a Portland, Oregon show of these prints and their matrixes.

” At the show there were these intricately carved wood blocks, stencils, paper screens, and etching plates that were just as beautiful as the prints themselves, side by side with the work to help viewers mentally grasp his process. It was truly mind blowing, from a printmakers perspective, to see the work involved in carving the blocks or etching the copper plates….At that time the Artlab was only a couple of months old, and we had only started to plan our printmaking studio. I knew if we ever did get a print program off of the ground, this work was something we should try and exhibit. So Dave made it happen with a few phone calls and a visit to Karl’s studio,” says Walker.

For his part, Hecksher is thrilled to be introducing his experience and method to Jackson artists.  His hope is that students will develop their own personal approach to wood block printing.

(Photo, top Left: Chuck Close Self-Portrait Woodcut, 2009 Woodcut in 47 colors Image Size: 28 x 23 inches Paper Size: 35 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches Edition of 70 Printed by Karl Hecksher Published by Pace Editions, Inc.)

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)

Greg Woodard’s “Native Americana,” an exhibition of his new sculptural works, opens with an artist’s reception at Altamira Fine Art on Thursday, September 17, 2-4:00 pm.   The show, currently on display, remains up through September 21.

Woodard is largely self-taught. I’ve chosen to share his portrayal of a wolf, “Last Stand,” carved from apricot wood, because the continued successful sustaining of our region’s wolf population is, currently, at the top of conservationist’s lists.  But Woodard is widely known for keenly specific bird sculptures.   A master falconer, Woodard has been a contender in the Ward World Competition in Ocean City, MD, recognized as the most prestigious bird carving competition in the world.   That is big stuff.

The arts overlap with with conservation and conscientious hunting.  We can all co-exist if we are mindful and creative.   As Woodard notes, understanding environment, habits and characteristics of wildlife is crucial to us, crucial to survival.  His love of the wild is present in his work.

For information, email connect@altamiraart.com.

Item #2:

Chris Burch sends this headline:

“THESE ARE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: CENTER OF WONDER SHOW FOCUSES ON COMMUNITY DURING FALL ARTS FESTIVAL!”

Where: Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, 130 South Jackson Street
When: September 11, 5-8 p.m.  (Palates & Palettes Night!)
Sponsors: Center of Wonder, LMC,  Art Association,  Community Foundation, Rocky Mountain Bank, Wyoming Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts.

Many locals have a hidden–or not so hidden–creative side.  You probably know some of them, but others come as a surprise.   This exhibit, curated by Christian Burch, consists of 30 wooden silhouettes of these secret creative people.

Maybe they can be placed around downtown Jackson?   Our version of NYC’s bronze, life-sized sculptures of businessmen and other citizens, sprinkled around that city.   A nice echo of last winter’s cut-out wildlife figures spread around Wilson and its environs.

Says Burch, ” The show, … in collaboration with Bland Hoke and The Center of Wonder, consists of thirty wooden silhouettes of Jackson Hole citizens painted by an equal number of Jackson’s own local artists. The free-standing figures have been painted so that one side represents what is known of the person, while the other side is painted to reveal something that might not be known. “  Works will be auctioned off to benefit non-profits chosen by the artists.

Information about public art programs will be on display and computers will be available for people to comment on the Teton County Comprehensive Plan review.

Item #3  (excuse the black text…hey, it stands out!)

Teton Artlab spotlights favorite local artist Craig Spankie, on September 11.  Jackson natives Mark and Wade Dunstan and Abbie Miller contribute, too.  Mark and Wade are the children of Kaidi Dunstan and grandkids of Art Association founder Georgie Morgan. (Abbie is making a huge inflatable dress!  Heck yes. – TW) The opening takes place during the FAF festivities that evening.   But don’t call Travis, he has a new baby.  Call Spankie, now an old hand with babies: 699-0687.

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Came across a headline the other day about Scottsdale, Arizona’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Its attendance “surged” and grew by more than 6,000 visitors since the economic bomb fell, and the museum has enjoyed more than 40,000 visitors in the past fiscal year.  That’s more than last year, but less than its 2005-2006 high, a 47,291 visitor count. The link to that article is here.

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.

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.