Posts Tagged ‘Western Landscapes’
Trio Fine Art is transitioning, evolving.
September Vhay, an original founder of Trio Fine Art, has announced she will be leaving that gallery and joining Jackson’s Altamira Fine Art, effective May 3, 2012. At that time, Trio Fine Art will welcome Jackson-based painter Bill Sawczuk as that gallery’s new partner.
Focusing on painting while simultaneously running a gallery is more than a full time job, and after six successful years at Trio, Vhay says she “has come to a place in her life where she feels that her time is best spent painting.”
“Running Trio Fine Art has been an incredibly rewarding experience in regards to having the opportunity to work with, and create art alongside, the talent of Kathryn Turner, Molly Hirschfield, Lee Riddell, and Jennifer Hoffman,” says Vhay, who is known for her distinct renderings of horses and wildlife. “Trio also provided the unique experience for an artist to connect with collectors and witness the public enjoying the work first hand. Artists become attached to their paintings, and there is a certain solace in knowing where they go. I am proud of what the
gallery has become and would like to extend a huge amount of gratitude to my amazing business partners, collectors, family and friends for their unwavering support. Neither Trio Fine Art nor my career would be where they are without it.”
The National Museum of Wildlife Art’s (NMWA) 2011 “Western Visions” event was a success, bringing the Museum at least $600,000, funds that will benefit its education programs. This year, Tucker Smith’s oil painting East Fork Rams was the top-seller, going for $40,000 at the Museum’s September 16th’s finale sale. Awards were distributed to many notable and deserving Western artists; perhaps the highest honor went to painter Mark Eberhard, whose oil on board painting Snowy Owl won the Museum’s Trustee Purchase Award, making it part of the Museum’s permanent collection.
On October 6, 2011, award winning photographer John Weller will visit Jackson to present  The Last Ocean: Antartica’s Ross Sea Photographs by John Weller. After reading research
and articles on enviromental threats to the Ross Sea, Weller took up his camera to document those waters, “one of the last pristine open ocean ecosystems on Earth.” Â Weller’s photographs will be on display at NMWA October 1, 2011 – January 29, 2012. Â An opening reception takes place at NMWA on October 6, 5:30 pm. Weller will speak at 7 pm, in Cook Auditorium.
“Through his remarkable images, award-winning photographer Weller takes viewers on a journey that celebrates the Ross Sea as one of Earth’s last healthy marine environments,” says the Museum. “Dramatic photos offer a glimpse into the lives of wildlife from Emperor penguins to silverfish inhabiting the remote region both above and below the Antarctic ocean’s surface.”
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Cool news from the Art Association’s Jenny Dowd: NMWA is looking for artists to collaborate in its upcoming (Bronwyn Minton inspired) exhibition Exquisite Animal: A Community Art Exhibit. Curated by Minton, the artist “game” is played by several people asked to draw a part of an animal; head, front legs, tail, fins, etc. on a “huge sheet of paper,” creating giant animal composites. Each figure presents unlikely combinations, juxtaposed into fantastical creatures. Contact Minton at bminton@wildlifeart.org for more info!
More from Jenny: She has been in contact with Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, Curator at the Portland Art Museum. In conjunction with Laing-Malcolmson’s interest in Northwest art, she is working to build a library of art by artists in this region. Â Artists are invited to submit packets of work examples to be considered for future exhibitions—accepted works will not only be on display at Portland, but have the chance to travel to other museums in the area.
Very, very nice. Here’s what you do to apply:  Mail a disk with up to 20 images of your work, a resume and artist statement to:
Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR  97205.
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From the Teton County Library:
Friday, October 7, from 5:30-6:30 pm, join the Library in the Center for the Arts Lobby for reception celebrating Renewal: Altered Book
Exhibition. “Local artists have spun new creations from discarded books and library-inspired words for this exhibit, celebrating the library’s renewal through the addition and renovation now underway,” says the Library. “The opening reception will feature book art; appetizers provided by the Teton County Library Friends; and an opportunity to see our building model! Architects and library staff will be available to answer questions about our building project.”
You can also make origami! Â And it’s free!
Through October 28, at the Center. Contact Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135, odoherty@tclib.org. To learn more about library programs or construction, visit www.tclib.org.
Excellent news that Teton County commissioners approved a contract with Wisconsin sculptor Don Rambadt to design and install a pathways public art project. The work will be part of the pathways system on North Highway 89, adjacent to the National Elk Refuge and National Museum of Wildlife Art. Local sculptor Ben Roth’s design for a series of bicycle racks will complement Rambadt’s installation.
Roth and Rambadt’s styles are similar and should mix extremely well. Both artists are minimalists, both use crisp geometric forms in their portrayals of wildlife and other creatures. Clean, contemporary and realistic enough to be recognizable by all, the art should be broadly appealing.
I visited Rambadt’s website and discovered another one of his projects: Magnetic Migration. Rambadt is placing a series of magnetic nuthatch sculptures on various steel structures he finds around the country. He’s asking the public to keep their eyes peeled for these little metal birds. If you find one, Rambadt asks you to move the sculpture to another steel building or site and take a photo. Post your photo, along with place, time and date. Â If Rambadt likes your site and story, he’ll send you your own little bird. Some folks decide to keep the birds they find–which would be tempting–and that’s o.k. with Rambadt. Check out the project here.
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A batch of new works at Heather James Fine Art includes new sculptures by Diego Giacometti. The gallery is a little secretive with its art collection backstories; the Giacometti name is world
famous, but most people think of Diego’s brother Alberto. Diego and his brother were very close, and for much of his career Diego served as Alberto’s senior assistant. Diego’s artistry manifested as furniture and artful objects and he established himself as a noted artist in his own right. Diego designed the Picasso Museum’s interior, but did not live to see the museum open. It’s a privilege to have Diego Giacometti’s work in Jackson Hole.
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The sub-headline in July 13th’s Jackson Hole News & Guide read: “Town mulls restrictions on ground-floor businesses as method to revitalize, generate revenue.”
“Restrictions” and “revitalize.” Opposites. See the problem? It’s not the paper’s fault. Town government thinks a prohibition strategy will help transform our economy. Targeting art galleries, in order to solve Jackson’s dearth of tax revenue is, to put it politely, very poor judgement.
Hello! How many non-profits do we have in Jackson?  Snow King Resort, financed by wealthy, shrewd business leaders, courted being bailed out by a non-profit; the owners have since rejected the non-profit’s offer. I don’t know the mountain’s chances of ever becoming a viable business, but the last thing we should do is bypass testing the market and hurtle towards providing non-profit status to what SHOULD be one of the biggest retail operations in the valley! How will we ever know what the market can bear? Instead of renovating its main facility, Snow King built too many spec units and failed. So put it up for sale. That’s what failed businesses do!  Snow King may sit on the block a long time, but it’s in good company.
Raise the Town’s sales tax. Continue to lobby for a real estate transfer tax. Use some of the revenue to help Wyomingites who are isolated, impoverished, abused, mentally ill, and/or hungry. Use the rest to boost town revenues.
I value and respect the missions of our non-profits, and I support (to the extent of my ability) those I feel are most crucial to the valley. We need them, and so many good people give their hearts 24/7 to causes that make our valley a better place. But we simply cannot figure out our unemployment and sales tax revenue issues in a pro-active way. We give the hospital $11,000,000 without reviewing their accounts! SPET tax rules
should be overhauled; I don’t believe the population at large truly understands what they are voting for. We’re economically co-dependent. At the very least, non-profits should have to provide a full accounting of their expenditures to prove they deserve public money.
The Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival spikes Jackson’s lodging stats every year. That means the event brings more visitors, spending money, every year. I’m sure Santa Fe or Scottsdale would welcome our best galleries, if Jackson’s business environment becomes too hostile. This is a grasping-at-straws measure. Shipping works out of state has always been integral to the gallery business. Art is international, and we are a tourist town, counting heavily on out-of-state buyers. We’re damn lucky that Jackson is, truly, becoming an arts destination. It could all change on a dime.
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Good to hear from Legacy!
Legacy Gallery in Jackson Hole (there is also a Scottsdale, AZ branch) presents artist Kenny McKenna, in a One Man Show, July 21-August 11, 2011. An opening reception takes place Thursday, July 21, 6-8 pm, at the Jackson gallery.
McKenna is a landscapist. His striking, traditional works present views of some of our most memorable panoramas: Mt. Moran, Taggart Lake, Cascade Canyon, the Cathedral Group, Mormon Row, Sleeping Indian and more. Â McKenna also paints the smaller landscapes—check out his gentle portrayals of lily pads, meadows and willows. Summer and Fall views prevail.
“Planning in the West,” the second annual conference on the topic of Intermountain West development, takes place in Boise, Idaho, June 2-3, 2010. The conference is billed as featuring “leading planners, policy-makers, architects, developers, and landscape architects from around the Rockies….to track planning and development trends, showcase best practices, and understand how thoughtful and place-inspired planning can help us shape our region in the most positive possible ways.”
Planning in the West’s keynote speaker is Mark Muro, of the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C. based public policy think tank with a mission to “conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations that advance three broad goals:
- Strengthen American democracy;
- Foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans and
- Secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system.”
Muro studies intermountain economic trends; you can find “Mountain Monitor – Tracking Economic Recession and Recovery in the Intermountain West’s Metropolitan Areas” when you do a search on the Brookings Institute website. The study tracks trends through the fourth quarter of 2009. It looks at large metropolitan regions (Denver, Boise, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque), and smaller areas (Reno, Fort Collins, Las Cruces, Boulder); but transpose Muro’s larger points on intermountain real estate booms, education, and diversity of economic base to Jackson’s profile, and you will get a pretty good idea of the pace of economic recovery Teton County might expect, and why.
Soft Opening for Heather James Gallery
Heather James Fine Art opens its doors at 172 Center Street, Suite 200, next door to Altamira Fine Art, in April. This month’s opening is soft. Lyndsay McCandless has been hired as the gallery’s director.
“We welcome our new neighbors, Heather James Fine Art, to the Center Street art district,” says Altamira Executive Director Mark Tarrant. “This is an important addition to the Jackson art market, providing the quality of fine art that people expect when visiting Jackson. We are working with the gallery’s director, Lyndsay McCandless, and planning cooperative events that will set the pace for the Jackson experience.”
Based in Palm Desert, California, the gallery “represents a world-class spectrum of art-bridging genres including Impressionist and Modern, Classical Post-War and Contemporary, American and Latin American, Old Masters, design, cutting-edge contemporary and photography.”
A partial list of artists the gallery represents includes American artists Marion Kavanagh Wachtel, Oscar Bluemner and Irving Norman; Latin American artists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, Francisco Zuniga, Naum Knop and Marta Minujin; and Impressionist/Modern masters Berthe Morisot and Alberto Giacometti.
A friend passed along a recent local art “review” —perhaps “commentary” is a better word — concerning the closing of the Oswald Gallery.
I’ve been criticized for some of my own commentary, and I know the sting of having someone in our close Jackson community express strong negative feelings about what I’ve written.  I also believe that the First Amendment is one of our most precious charges. Thou shalt not shoot the messenger.
The piece I’m referring to was particularly bizarre. Is the writer trying to be facetious? If so, the effort fails. (Sign up for Satire:101) Here’s why:  The writer, an artist, should know better than to characterize all art galleries as a whorl of “…musicians, models, artists, writers, homosexuals, and wealthy patrons milling around in unbearable hipness…….”
(Dude. You have a show about rap artists interpreted as holy gospel singers.  Which isn’t such a stretch, but it’s certainly hip-hoppity.)
If, in fact, he’s pretending not to know about the gallery business, he did a good job.  If he really knew, and his writing was up to par (not saying mine is, I know my limits) we’d read his piece and think, “What a great skewering of the art scene! Brilliant!”
That didn’t happen, so I’m going forward with this post taking the position he really doesn’t know. If he does know, he should build himself a much, MUCH bigger platform before venturing out into such territory.  Think Woody Allen.  Or Colbert. Or Tracy Morgan.  Or Mike Bressler! Catch the Shouts & Murmurs “Cursing Mommy” column sometime.
The writer goes on:Â “There would always be plenty of blow and smack at hand and somehow the entire enterprise makes money and garners international acclaim.”
Are you a kid? Or are you just brain dead from your early days spent snorting and writhing around on the floor at Studio 54? Stuff happens, but this ain’t the 80′s. I understand Leya is fond of you, and she may share some of your views, and you are lucky to have someone as professional and savvy as Leya in your corner.   But for those not in on your “inside” stuff, what you write is not cutting it.
“If any of you vultures reading this article want to save 25 to 50 percent on some really nice picture frames, now is the time.”
How much will your art be worth in a few years? If your stuff doesn’t sell, by what method will you toss the carrion into the yard? Maybe you’ll go “Ebay.”
We are in a Great Recession. Not a mild recession, a GREAT RECESSION.  Picassos are selling. Big stuff. Because people with that kind of money can buy as much as they like, and are.  Many galleries are having their artists size down their work, to make it more affordable. And we’re talking about all levels of artists, all genres.  Travis Walker does a great job of coming up with innovative ways for his artists to sell, and new collectors to collect.
There’s quite a bit of information on the art market out there. Why don’t you read some of it?
I won’t touch the Wilson/butlers in the basement bit.
“Leya looks great in black, and I did not imagine anything beyond that was necessary for success in the art world.”
Perhaps you should apply for a gallery intern job this summer.  You will be lucky to get hired, even for free, but give it a shot.
“We are still surrounded by landscape paintings, of moose in front of the Tetons or Indians painted by white people. So obviously Americans prefer art that does not make us think but rather reinforces stereotypes and clichés.”
By that logic, people would be buying landscapes and wildlife art in SoHo.
Why are YOU here in Jackson Hole? It can’t be because of intense city energy, urban infrastructure and sounds, interstate highways and their traffic, or cultural diversity.
Maybe you’re here to snowboard?  On big mountains, surrounded by wildlife?
Can you name the photographers Oswald has carried since the day they opened? Lots of landscape shooters……and damn, they’re hip! One of Leya’s favorite photographers, Nine Francois, is largely about portraits of animals from the wild. They aren’t in the wild, I don’t believe, when Francois takes her photos, but they are, at their core, wildlife.  I mean, this is the West. If we were in Key West, what would you see?  Santa Fe? Cape Cod? San Antonio? Art is a reflection of place.
What do you imagine people visiting Jackson Hole and the Parks want to think about while they are here?  What do you think they want to take back with them, and why? I don’t have statistics, but my experience tells me that wealthy locals, many with several homes and access to all art markets, buy much of Jackson’s contemporary art.  We certainly need our contemporary arts in order to thrive. I adore them. I even like your work, but I’ve deleted my story about it because I feel what you are writing for your newspaper is toxic, bitter and scary; it may even foreshadow some violent act.  I hope your newspaper takes heed.
Most visitors buy art here for reasons having to do with the unmatched experiences they have in Wyoming. And many collectors buy representational and abstract or contemporary art.   Because it all has value.
Pop quiz: Who was Edward Curtis?
(This is the first of a two-part story.)
San Francisco landscape architecture Professor (U.C. Berkeley) Walter Hood has been hailed by KQED San Francisco Public Television and Public Radio as a leader in urban refurbishment. His resuscitation of local parks in Oakland and San Francisco, has “….integrated architectural features such as playgrounds, plazas and squares into city sites whose pasts are vibrant but forgotten. By reflecting the shifting cultural composition and respecting the evolving nature of neighborhoods….,[Hood] has created an oasis in these areas, and through his close involvement with the local communities, he developed tailored solutions for Bay Area based parks while retaining a cohesive artistic vision.”
Hood is principal of Hood Design; his reputation and projects span the globe. He’s at work on a new book, “Urban Landscapes: American Landscape Typologies.”
Last summer I had the pleasure of sitting down with Hood, and I asked him his impressions of Jackson’s landscapes–natural and man-made.
The first thing he told me was that green community plans are a relatively new thing.
Some years ago Hood met with Center for the Arts staff and officials to propose a project around the Center; that project didn’t happen, but Hood has had multiple chances to observe our town’s practices and choices about public art and landscaping.
“It was a great experience to come here… because I met so many people and I love this landscape. As a place, it is unique….I am much more interested in the landscape here and how we can live in a place and somehow bring the 
accoutrements from other places…. I was just out in Teton Village, and you could be anywhere! I could be in some California town, some hillside town,” says Hood.
Hood imagines a trail system connecting all valley communities; on the flip side, he’s surprised to find that, in a place as unique as this, people are living much like people do in most other places: with a car out front, standard roofs, excessive traffic. In a place like Jackson, we should be forcing ourselves to change the footprint we leave upon the earth.
In a place like Jackson, public spaces should be about scaling and shifting the existing landscape, to enmesh people in a landscape experience so that art and landscape are “legible.”
Pointing to a cluster of aspens and evergreens on a Jackson street corner, Hood says he’d never plant such species on that spot.
“With Snow King there–it’s all about Snow King. The trees block it. If I am working in a neighborhood of small scale, that’s one thing. But this is huge, the glacier on that mountain is EVIDENT.”
Indeed, when I retrieve my mail on Pearl Avenue, cross over to Betty Rock, and look up, I now see big, bulky condos. Snow King is wiped from view. As Franz Camenzind has said, if people look up and can’t see the mountains, how can they be connected to the space? The rim is gone. Landscape lost.
The only people who will be able to see the mountain from that vantage point are the new condo owners.
“How can you not work in another way?” asks Hood. “I’m being completely conceptual, I know. But that’s one of the things that’s really important. Every time we do a drawing, we always show Snow King in the background. Because everything you do is in reference to this thing. How you make decisions. Take this 
corner of town we’re talking about, with the trees, along this major street, Pearl Avenue, it would not be a hard thing to protect that view. You need to say that when you are on this street that ridge line view should be protected.”
Hood notes that our process is typical of what rural communities started doing in the 70′s.
“Before you know it, what you value is gone. You forget the place because you are so immersed in it. When you live there. It happens to a lot of communities over time because you stop seeing it. It becomes so familiar. Then one day you look around and wonder what happened. How did we get this way?”
