INSIDE Jackson Hole Art Auction • Wildlife Art • Quest for the West • Glenn Dean SEPTEMBER 2016
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UPCOMING SHOW
S HOW LO C AT ION JAC K S ON, W Y
Up to 15 works September 1-30, 2016 Trailside Galleries 130 E. Broadway Jackson, WY 83001 (307) 733-3186
DUSTIN VAN WECHEL
Narratives in nature
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oven through every painting by wildlife artist Dustin Van Wechel is a story of the natural world that includes predators and their would-be prey, young animals learning the way of the land and scenes of seasonal habits. Focused on Northern American mammals, Van Wechel derives the pieces from firsthand travels through the Rocky Mountains from northern Colorado up to Canada or from his knowledge and understanding of the creatures and environments themselves. What results are works the artist hopes connect with viewers not only through the narratives but also on an emotional level from their design, dramatic lighting and atmosphere. This September 1 to 30, Trailside Galleries
Holding Fast, oil on linen, 30 x 24"
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in Jackson, Wyoming, will host its third solo exhibition for the Colorado Springs resident. Aptly titled Narratives in Nature, the show includes around 15 new works that will be sold in a fixed-price draw during the reception on September 17. The pieces will span in size from 11 by 14 inches to the artist’s largest work to date at 48 by 60 inches. In addition to the storytelling aspect of Van Wechel’s pieces, these new works touch on another new element for the artist. “I like to think that the pieces are a bit more intimate than I’ve done in the past,” Van Wechel explains. “As I grow as an artist and have more experiences in the field, you bring those subtleties to your work. I hope collectors notice those kinds of things.”
Rock Jockies, oil on linen, 24 x 48"
The Hunter, oil on linen, 14 x 11"
Among the works in the show is Rock Jockies, a 24-by-48-inch painting of five bighorn sheep. “That is a story about leadership. Those two very large bighorn sheep on the right side
of the canvas are leading the group of the younger rams,” describes the artist. “Those younger rams will hang around them as much as possible to learn survival instincts.”
In another piece, titled Holding Fast, Van Wechel paints a scene of discovery between a mountain lion and a snowshoe hare. Van Wechel adds that this particular composition—of the hunter and its prey—was an invented one based on his knowledge of the animals, as it is rare to see in nature. “You don’t know if the hare gets away, but he has been discovered,” says the artist of Holding Fast. “As those kinds of rabbits do, they tend to stay in their spot until the last second hoping they don’t get noticed.” Other paintings in the show include Scenic Views, picturing a family of mountain goats enjoying their day traversing the high alpine terrain, and Summer's Last Stand that depicts an elk at a unique time of year. Of the latter work, Van Wechel describes, “There is kind of a window of time where it’s just as the rut is getting started where summer hasn’t let go yet; things are still green, lush and just starting to turn to fall. That’s the idea there. I wanted to contrast that sort of unique view of an elk just before the true fall begins in regards to the foliage and colors.” Fo r a d i re c t l i n k to t he e x h i b it i n g g a l l e r y g o to w w w. we ste r n a r tc o l l e c to r. c o m
Summer's Last Stand, oil on linen, 18 x 24”
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