INSIDE Autry Masters of the American West • State of the Art: California • Settlers West FEBRUARY 2016
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UPCOMING GROUP SHOW
S HOW LO C AT ION JAC K S ON HOL E , W Y
Up to 20 works February 1-28, 2016 Trailside Galleries 130 E. Broadway Jackson Hole, WY 83001 (307) 733-3186
Natural splendor
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hen looking for inspiration, many artists need to look no further than stepping outside their studio and admiring the world around them. The earth is full of so much natural beauty that constantly changes with time, the weather and the mood of whomever is viewing it. Trailside Galleries in Jackson, Wyoming, will highlight paintings of America’s splendor in its upcoming show Visions of the American Landscape. New landscapes from artists such as Bill Anton, Brent Cotton, Kathleen Dunphy, Michael Godfrey, Lanny Grant, Robert Moore, Ralph Oberg, Andrew Peters, Matt Smith, Paul Waldum, Curt Walters, and Kathy Wipfler will be on display, which includes larger pieces and a few smaller plein air paintings as well. The tall aspen trees in September’s Testament by Moore make for a large piece, 96 by 60 inches, with a variety of color reflecting into the shadow side of the white trunks. “Because of the height of the canvas I ended up actually painting the aspen with the canvas on its side,” he explains. “Paintings are illusions made from shapes. It is the shapes that are deciphered and interpreted by the viewer. While creating the shapes it doesn’t matter if the reference is on its side or even upside down. The orientation of the reference generating the shape is isolated and separate from the final understanding of the painting.” Peters, a self-professed admirer of aspens, ventured into the Wind River Range in Wyoming to get the inspiration for Bridger Wilderness. “High in the Wind River Range of Wyoming aristocrat groves of aspens turn brilliant in autumn,” he says. “The groves are
Robert Moore, September’s Testament, oil, 96 x 60"
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Matt Smith, Hog Springs Autumn, oil, 12 x 16"
Curt Walters, Gilded Evening, oil on canvas, 24 x 54"
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Andrew Peters, Bridger Wilderness, oil on canvas, 30 x 36"
Opposite page: Kathleen Dunphy, Autumn At Last, oil, 20 x 20"
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peopled with tall, old growth trees elegantly spaced. I have found them on horse packing trips and hikes. Aspen trees are just good company—maybe because they seem lighted from within. They give off warmth even on overcast days: they’re opalescent and reflect ambient hues.” Peters adds that while painting a sketch of Bridger Wilderness, “a northern goshawk chased a ruffed grouse past my early like two arrows whizzing by.” Many landscapes provide ample subject matter for artists, but autumn colors add an extra element to any scenic view. Many artists, like Dunphy, wait for the colors to change from brilliant greens to vast fall colors. “My annual autumn trek to the east side of the Sierras always provides me with a dose of high-country inspiration, recharging my artistic batteries and getting me fired up to paint after the doldrums of the summer,” she says. “There are never enough hours in these shorter fall days to paint all this beauty on location, but sketches, notes and studies fuel studio work for months to come.”
Dunphy painted Autumn At Last in her studio after returning from a trip while the “memories of warm autumn sun, golden leaves and the hint of the coming winter were still fresh in my mind.” Smith also enjoys painting the fall colors, and traveled to south central Utah, home of red rocks and enough natural beauty to fuel landscape masters like Thomas Moran. “If my timing is just right, the color, weather and runoff will be just right,” Smith says of the inspiration for Hog Springs Autumn. “That was the case on this trip. It’s also a nice contrast to my time spent painting the seasonal change at the more common, higher elevations.” These works and many more new pieces will be on display for Visions of the American Landscape from February 1 to 28, with an open house February 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. 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
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