Posts Tagged ‘Plein Air Painting’
Do you sense a plein air trend? It’s good.
This June, a time when our wildflowers should be popping, the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) will hold Plein Air Fest 2012 on museum grounds. A one-day event, the festival will feature approximately 40 artists painting from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Picture that!
It’s all part of NMWA’s opening week festivities that will celebrate the official opening of its new sculpture trail, designed by Oakland, California landscape architect Walter Hood. “Participating artists agree to arrive at the festival with an artwork no more than 25 percent completed, and the pressure is on as they must finish by 2 p.m.,” says the museum. “The Plein Air Festival’s fresh artworks will be sold by “intent to purchase” with potential buyers putting their name in a box next to the artist whose piece they’d like to own for a set price. The lucky purchaser for each piece will then be drawn at random.”
The public is invited to watch the artists work, and a BBQ cook-off, live music and kids creative activities are all scheduled. Artists will compete for a “Best in Show Award,” to be chosen by visitors. Tickets for the BBQ cook-off tasting/voting will be $10 for 10 tastes, $25 for unlimited tastes. The museum’s Rising Sage Café will also offer hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks for sale. www.wildlifeart.org
The Grand Teton Association Presents the 2012 “Artists in the Environment” Plein Air Summer Series Schedule, Grand Teton National Park
Gregory I. McHuron
Date: June 9, 2012
Location: Blacktail Pond
Time: 4:00 – 7:00 pm
Gregory I. McHuron has been painting wildlife and landscapes throughout the United States and Canada for 35 years. A Syracuse native, he was raised in Colorado, Wyoming, Alaska and California.
McHuron has long painted Jackson’s surrounding area and the West, capturing a wide variety of subjects. He is active in many arts organizations, including the Wyoming Artists Association, Wind River Artist Association, Scottsdale School of the Arts and The Lodge at Palisades. His paintings are featured at the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the CM Russell Show. Grand Teton National Park, Isle Royale National Park, and Gates of the Artic National Park and Preserve include McHuron’s work in their permanent collections.
“People have said that they are immediately struck by my strong sense of design–then, the interesting color combinations, juxtapositions, and light and dark patterns,” says McHuron. “The common thread in all my work is that I was there.” McHuron often puts himself in extreme conditions in order to get the painting he wants. Standing in rivers and on the edge of cliffs, bobbing in a raft down the Grand Canyon, or accidentally finding himself in the middle of a buffalo stampede aren’t unusual circumstances.
McHuron co-founded “Artists in the Environment” with landscape artist Conrad Schwiering. He is represented by Jackson’s Trailside Galleries.
Through February 25th, noted plein air painter Scott L. Christensen is offering to critique other artists’ work. He’s doing so for the benefit of Friends of the Teton River; critiques are $50 each, and all proceeds benefit the conservation non-profit. Artists may present up to ten paintings for review.
“Friends” executive director Adonia Ripple notes it is a great honor to have Christensen dedicating work to the organization. “As an angler, Scott understands the value of protecting the Teton River watershed, and the FTR mission of clean water, healthy streams, and abundant fisheries,” says Ripple. “As an artist, there is also support for conservation of wild things, simply because of their aesthetic value. Sometimes we protect things because of their singular beauty. A rare fish species, a perfectly aging cottonwood forest along the river, the sing of water over river cobbles in the spring. With each brush stroke over his landscapes, he is saying, ‘I value this, and this, and this part of this bit of light.’ That is also what we are doing here at FTR; there is the science behind what we are protecting, but there is also the soul.”
For his part, Christensen says working to protect healthy streams, clear water and abundant fisheries in the Teton River is an honor in itself. To find out more about arranging a critique, contact Debbie at Christensen’s studios by phoning 307.787.5851.
Jackson artist Kathy Wipfler’s superb plein air paintings are the centerpiece of a new show at the Simpson Gallagher Gallery, in Cody, Wyoming. Wipfler & The Boys: A Reunion of Friends opens at Simpson Gallagher, 1161 Sheridan Avenue, on Thursday, September 22, 2011. An opening reception takes place that evening, 5:00-8:00 pm.
Many plein air artists would consider giving up their good painting hand in favor of learning how to paint with their other hand, if it meant being showcased at Sue Simpson Gallagher’s gallery. Wipfler’s fellow artists, the “boys,” are cream-of-the-crop plein air painters Bob Barlow, T. Allen Lawson, Ralph Oberg, Geoff Parker, Matt Smith, Skip Whitcomb and Dan Young.
But enough about them…let’s get back to Wipfler!
This show is a story about the story of how a group of plein air painters met, painted together, grew together and ultimately became contemporary Western masters. The show will include a wide
variety of landscapes, as well as some wildlife paintings, from expansive panels to smaller works.
Wipfler had been in Jackson several years, “hanging out” at the Powder River Gallery, then owned by Jenny Promack. The gallery featured painters like Whitcomb, Hollis Williford and Barlow. The gallery also carried works by deceased masters— Charlie Russell letters, and Frank Tenney Johnson studies, Caitlins and Boreins. Wipfler remembers great gatherings of painting friends regularly taking place at the gallery.
“Jenny’s father took the Cowboy Hall of Fame from an empty shell of a building and opened it up with no federal funding,” Wipfler says. “And he started the show called NAWA–North American Western Artists. Jenny grew up around a lot of artists, and her dad was in Oklahoma City doing that project.”
Wipfler recalls how how she and her colleagues bonded and grew. “When Tim Lawson moved to town he called and said ‘Let’s go painting together.’ So we did, fairly often, and Tim and I were in the same galleries, like Powder River–and then we moved to Main Trail Gallery. Eventually we both went to Partners Gallery, which ended up being the Moynihan Gallery. Then, before Moynihan closed, I went to Trailside. Tim, Bob and I were gallery pals.”
Over the years, artists came in and out of Jackson, especially in the fall, long before Jackson’s Fall Arts Festival was created, long before the term “plein air painting” became popular. Wipfler and “the boys” got together to paint for a week or two; they’d go out painting every day. Wildlife artists came, too, and that genre developed locally. Plein air gained ground in the 90′s; small “push-out” paint boxes allowed professionals and hobbyists to paint easily outdoors, packing their tools on a horse or backpack.
“Ned Jacob was a mentor, and he was taught by Bob Lougheed and John Clymer and Bettina Steinke–and they were trained by the “old time guys” in New York,” relates Wipfler. Howard Pyle and the illustrators taught artists they had to work from life. Seeing the real color, seeing the real light. We learned the tradition of the New York and Chicago schools of painting from life. The great traditionalists had full lives as illustrators before they ever went to easel painting. And they taught the people who taught us.”
Wipfler notes that illustrative artists were trained formally. New England based artists like Norman Rockwell churned out work on demand for advertising companies. Close proximity to New York allowed them to take their work there. Works had a formal structure and superb draftsmanship; illustrators were telling specific stories.
For 25 years Simpson Gallagher watched Wipfler become the touchstone for her fellow artists, making her mark in a predominately male profession. She’s long encouraged Wipfler to do a show, but the artist demurred. Wipfler says she’s not a loner on purpose, but prefers to paint by herself, a change from her earlier years when days were spent painting with friends.
“I do better work when I’m not in a crowd. ‘Cause the crowd’s so much fun and work is work—-I’m getting better at painting in a crowd, lately,” Wipfler laughs. She agreed to the Cody show
“partly because I’m the only woman and partly because that was how Sue could get me to do a show! She has some great collectors over in Cody; one of those is the person who got my painting in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center!”
“There are many sources of inspiration for this show. It is partly my story too, so I know it well and think it is a story worth telling,” Simpson Gallagher notes. “Kathy is a peacemaker and makes sure that her friends stay connected. She is not competitive in a debilitating way. She only strives to be the best she can be. She was always game to go out painting no matter the time or temperature. She was good company. She was a positive influence and always buoyed every one else up.
It is inspirational for me to see the respect, admiration and love the artists have for Kathy and she has for them. I hope this show will reflect the rare and wondrous, broad-ranging friendship between independent individuals who share a history, experiences, a passion for painting, especially in the outdoors, and the Art Spirit!”
When prompted, Wipfler acknowledges the show is a highpoint in her career. “There are thousands of artists that would literally kill me if that meant they could have my spot in Sue’s gallery,” she says. “People want to be in that gallery badly. You walk in and you can feel the love for the art and their friendships with the artists and the meaning behind it all.” www.simpsongallaghergallery.com
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This just in!!! Lucy Grogan, Jackson Hole Art Auction Coordinator, sends the following:
Jackson, WY…The fifth annual Jackson Hole Art Auction was held on September 17th at the Center for the Arts in Jackson, Wyoming. Hosted by Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery, more than 88% of the featured 250 lots sold, realizing over $9,000,000 in sales. As the auction got under way at 12:30 pm, more than 300 people filled the seats of the auditorium, with some 400 registered bidders. Bidding was very active with close to 300 phone bids and absentee bids. Internet bidders also participated in much of the sale. In just its fifth year, the Jackson Hole Art Auction has clearly distinguished itself as a destination event, with consignors and collectors from all across the country and abroad, including Russia, Ireland, England, and Switzerland.
The live audience broke into enthusiastic applause when Frederic Remington’s painting “He Lay Where He Had Been Jerked, Still as a Log”, a 24 ¼ x 36 ¼ oil on canvas, estimated at $1,000,000-$1,500,000, sold for $1,583,000. Other highlights include Bob Kuhn’s painting “Study of a Cougar”, a small 16 x 12 inch acrylic on masonite, estimated at $50,000-$75,000, sold for $90,000; Charlie Dye’s painting, “Texas Brush Popper”, a 20 x 24 oil on board, estimated at $20,000 – $30,000, sold for $74,750; Frederick Remington’s iconic bronze “Bronco Buster #16” estimated at $400,000 – $600,000, sold for $488,750; John Clymer’s painting “Marie Dorian – Winter Refuge, 1814”, a 40 x 30 oil on board, estimated $200,000 – $300,000, sold for $391,000.
This year’s Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival (FAF) takes place September 8-18, 2011. The festival’s popularity grows annually–as a commodity, top of the line art continues to retain or gain value. The Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival brings more visitors and arts enthusiasts to the area than any other annual regional event; it is a premier Western Art cultural event. Where else might one experience such sublime natural beauty and world class art? Visual arts, cowboy poetry, music, fine foods, auctions, parties, gallery openings, the best of Western design–find it all at the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival!
This is the first of two posts listing 2011′s FAF highlight events. This post covers events through Sunday, September 11; the second half of the FAF events calendar posts Monday, September 12, 2011.
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Thursday, September 8~
The Western Design Conference Lecture, Yellowstone to Yukon: the Journey of Wildlife and Art. FAF featured artist Dwanye Harty
discusses his artwork and travels inspired by the work of Carl Rungius. The exhibition takes viewers along migratory routes and mountain corridors, from Pinedale, Wyoming, to the Arctic Circle, Yukon Territory.
Center for the Arts, 2pm. $15 Exhibit & Sale day pass available at the door.
www.westerndesignconference.com
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Western Design Conference Gala Event: Fashion Jewelry Show
A live-model jewelry show and champagne celebration, followed by a runway fashion show “presenting western-genre couture collections from both up-and-coming and established 
fashion designers.” $22,000 or more in cash prizes to the exhibitors whose work best exemplifies the traditions and evolution of Western design.The event expands this year with the addition of a special showing of celebrity costume designer Manuel’s State Jacket Collection and the Winners Circle Art Auction. Big post-party! Center for the Arts, doors open at 6pm. Fashion Show at 7:15pm.
Tickets: $125 box seats, $100 main floor, $35 balcony. Reserved seating. Center Box Office: 307-733-4900 or jhcenterforthearts.com
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Kathryn Mapes Turner Solo Exhibition, By the Light of the Sun, at Trio Fine Art
Jackson artist Kathryn Mapes Turner’s new show, “By the Light of the Sun,” will be on exhibit at Trio Fine Art September 7-24, 2011. Artist’s reception takes place 5-8:00 pm. Turner will talk about her inspirations at 6:30 pm. The public is invited to attend this free event. Turner will be available at Trio Fine Art for the length of the exhibition. “By the Light of the Sun” showcases Turner’s newest collection of spectacular regional landscapes; this season, Turner’s muses are Jackson Hole’s signature aspen and cottonwood trees. Enchanted by cottonwoods’ forms and the aspen’s delicate colors, Turner explores the spaces these trees occupy, as well as the relational space between them. The show also includes soft, tonal landscape paintings of the Tetons and indigenous wildlife. Additionally, Turner will introduce new paintings of horses, so familiar and meaningful to the artist’s life in Wyoming.
Trio Fine Art, 545 N. Cache, (307) 734-4444, www.triofineart.com
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Galleries West Fine Art presents sculptor R. Scott Nickell sculpting all day, every day, Sept. 8-18. Stop by and meet the artist and watch as he sculpts his latest masterpiece!
Galleries West Fine Art, 70 S. Glenwood, 5-9pm, (307) 733-4412, www.gallerieswestjacksonhole.com
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Friday, September 9 ~
19th Annual Western Design Conference Gallery Exhibit Sale
An extravaganza of Western furniture, home accessories and fashion. Great show, make sure you go! I still have my goodie bag from last year! Artisans display handcrafted functional artin leather, metal, accents, woodworking, jewelry and fashion.
The Pavilion at Snow King Resort, 10am – 5pm
Tickets at the door – $15 day pass
www.westerndesignconference.com
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Palates & Palettes Gallery Walk! Visit more than 30 galleries as they open their doors and serve up delicious cuisine and fine art! 5-8:00 pm. Gallery events this evening coincide with this event. A great way to kick off FAF week! Free, open to the public.
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Artists’ Open Studio, a show of works by various Jackson Hole artists, opens today in conjunction with Palates & Palettes. On display in the Lobby of the Center for the Arts, all works have artist information and contacts available; call individual artists to arrange a visit to their studios. For information contact Jenny Dowd, at jenny@artassociation.org.
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Trio Fine Art Gallery demonstrations. Trio artists Kathryn Mapes Turner, Lee Carlman Riddell, September Vhay and Jennifer Hoffman demonstrate drawing and painting techniques in the gallery. All are welcome to stop in! Free admission.
Trio Fine Art Gallery, 545 N. Cache, (307) 734-4444, www.triofineart.com
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Diehl Gallery Presents Sheila Norgate: Risk Everything
Diehl Gallery welcomes Canadian painter Sheila Norgate for her third solo exhibition of new works. “The text that always appears in my work is vitally important to me,” says Norgate. “It acts as a further
extension of myself, another layer of enunciation and emancipation and I grow more committed to its use with every passing day.” Diehl Gallery is pleased to again partner with Ignight. The show runs from September 9th thru the 30th. Sale proceeds benefit the Jackson Hole Land Trust.
Diehl Gallery, 155 West Broadway, 5-9pm, (307) 733-0905, www.diehlgallery.com
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Heather James Fine Art presents 20th Century artist Earl Cunningham, in a show entitled Earl Cunningham: American Fauve. The exhibition is on view September 9 – October 29, 2011. The gallery notes Cunningham “painted mostly landscapes of the coasts of Maine, New York, Michigan, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida…used vivid colors, flat perspective, and a few recurrent themes. His works depict the many small interactions of the Atlantic coastal ecosystem, the dockworkers, harbor pilots, fisherman, farmers, waterfowl and American Indian tribes.” Palates & Palettes reception, 6-8:00 pm. RSVP to Jim Carona at jim@heatherjames.com or call 307-200-6090. www.heatherjames.com
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Tayloe Piggott Gallery features an installation of works by internationally known artists, “incorporated into vignettes depicting art and the communication of space.” Art + Communication of Space features works by Raul Diaz, Nathaniel Donnett, James Drake, and Peggy Preheim. “It is not easy to admit to or even simply observe the fragility, fleetingness and loneliness of human existence,” says the gallery. “These featured artists…invite us on their personal journeys.” Described as a “highly sensory display,” the exhibtion remains up through October 17th. Reception hours tonight are 5-9 pm.
Tayloe Piggott Gallery, 62 S. Glenwood St, (307) 733-0555, www.tayloepiggottgallery.com
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Cayuse Western Americana’s show Cowgirls: Women of the West showcases the clothing, gear and images of the West’s first cowgirls. A special grouping of women’s spurs is part of this exhibit and sale,
and many pieces are from Wyoming. Master jeweler and metalsmith Susan Adams will be on hand for Cayuse’s P&P party, happening 5-8:oo pm. Yee ha! Show runs through September.
Other galleries to check out: David Brookover Gallery, the Art Association, Legacy, Galleries West, Henry Holdsworth, Mountain Trails, Trailside, Altamira, Buffalo Trails, MADE, West Lives On, Crazy Horse, and the Wyoming Gallery.
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Saturday, September 10 ~
Western Design Conference Exhibition and Sale continues! The Pavilion at Snow King Resort, 10am – 5pm. Tickets at the door – $15 day pass. www.westerndesignconference.com
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Historic Ranch Tours ” Visit historic valley ranches, where Jackson Hole’s cowboy heritage still thrives. Start out at the Walton Ranch and then head to the Snake River Ranch. The tour is complete with cowboys, Western entertainment, and a good ol’ fashion barbeque.” Buses leave Jackson’s Home Ranch parking lot at 3 p.m. Cost: $50 307.733.3316 or 307.699.3868
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Artist Erin C. O’Connor demonstrates plein air painting on location at String Lake, Grand Teton National Park. O’Connor finds
her greatest inspiration by painting directly within the environment. Noted for her participation in many prestigious Plein Air events, she is represented in collections and exhibits throughout the country. O’Connor was awarded the 2009 Joshua Tree National Park “Artist-in-Residency” post. Presented by “Artists in the Environment” and the Grand Teton Association. Find us near Leigh Lake’s picnic area parking lot. Free! Contact/Moderator: Tammy Christel. tammy@jacksonholearttours.com.
Time: 2:00-5:00 pm
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Tom Mangelsen’s Images of Nature Gallery Annual Fall Reception World-renowned wildlife and nature photographer 
Thomas D. Mangelsen will share his latest images at the event. Mangelsen will visit with collectors, tell stories about his photographic journeys and sign books and limited edition prints. Party happens 6-9:00 pm.
Images of Nature Gallery, 170 N. Cache, (307) 733-9752, www.mangelsen.com
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Mountain Trails Gallery – Two Man Show “ A Family Legacy” A show featuring father and son sculptors, Vic Payne and Dustin Payne. Show remains up through September 18th. Mountain Trails Gallery, 155 Center Street, (307) 734-8150, www.mtntrails.net
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The Factory Studios, on Gregory Lane, presents Kelly Halpin’s recent work–”….darkly humorous drawings, paintings, and animations about life in Jackson Hole, and world wide ecological issues. Her unique style could be described as somewhere between film noir, Ralph Steadman, and punk rock.” www.thecoffeeweirds.com 6:30-9:30 pm.
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Sunday, September 11~ (Happy Birthday, Dad!)
19th Annual Western Design Conference Gallery Exhibit Sale continues. The Pavilion at Snow King Resort, 10am – 5pm. Tickets at the door – $15 day pass. www.westerndesignconference.com
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12th Annual Takin’ It to the Streets! An open-air, juried art fair featuring 40 local artists, including some of Jackson’s finest. Presented by the Jackson Hole Art Association.
Jackson Town Square, 10am – 4pm. Contact Amy Fradley at 307.733.8792 or artistinfo@jhartfair.org
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Taste of the Tetons Valley chefs, restaurants and caterers put their best culinary work on display for sampling. Wine tasting, silent auction, and the Howdy Pardners “Pickin’ in the Park” – musical entertainment by The Jackson Hole Cowboy Jubilee. Each taste ticket is $1. Jackson Town Square, 11am – 4pm.
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Next week’s Fall Arts Festival events include the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Western Visions: Miniatures and More Show & Sale, the Jackson Hole Art Auction, the 16th Annual Jackson Hole Quick Draw Show & Sale, Gallery Walks and many more events taking place at your favorite galleries!
