News | December 2000

Banks of the Yellowstone by Linda Lillegraven. painting, southwest art.
Banks of the Yellowstone by Linda Lillegraven

Yellowstone Landscape Wins Top Prize


The 14th annual Arts for the Parks competition was held in September at the historic Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. Linda Lillegraven from Laramie, WY, won the Grand Prize of $50,000 for Banks of the Yellowstone, a landscape depicting the evening light on a tranquil river bend in the Hayden Valley. Ruo Li captured the Collector’s Award of Merit. Jared Sanders won the People’s Choice award and Lynn McLain won the Judge’s Overall Award of Merit. Dave Wade received the Wildlife Award of Merit. Top regional awards were presented to Thea Flannagan, Susan Morris McGee, and Marion Hylton.


The Last Artists of America Show?


More than 1,000 artists, patrons, and art lovers packed the Colorado History Museum in September for the annual Artists of America show in Denver. The Rotary Club of Denver has sponsored the event for 20 years but announced that this is its last year of sponsorship. AOA coordinator Stevie Strasburger, however, says not to worry about the event’s future. The nationally recognized show will go on. “There are three very viable possibilities (for sponsors) and I’m sure the show will take place in 2002. I’m not sure we can do it by 2001 because so many particulars have to be ironed out,” Strasburger says. Meanwhile, this year’s show tallied up a record-breaking $1.27 million in sales. California-based painter Shang Ding won the People’s Choice award for April Breeze, a portrayal of a young woman walking through a field.


April Breeze by Shang Ding. painting, southwest art.
April Breeze by Shang Ding

Opening Their Doors


Legends Art Gallery has opened in Spring, TX. Located near Houston, the gallery specializes in paintings and sculpture by Texas artists. Hackett-Freedman Gallery in San Francisco, CA, has opened a new division, Hackett-Freedman Modern. The division focuses on premier modern and 20th-century artworks and is housed in expanded space at the gallery’s existing location on Sutter Street.
Nicholas Fine Art has opened in downtown Billings, MT. The gallery specializes in established and emerging artists.


Moving Day


The American Impressionist Society, a national plein-air painting organization, has moved its headquarters to Forestville, CA. Frank Gannon, the new president of the 200-member organization, announced plans for events focusing on Northern California.


Awards


Skip Whitcomb won the Colonel Red H. Smith award at the September Western Visions Miniature Show and Sale held at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, WY.  The featured artists were Scott Christensen and Richard Loffler.  This year’s show tallied up $300,000 in sale. The 19th annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale was held at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WY, in September. Nearly 100 artists participated in the event.  T.  Allen Lawson won the William E. Weiss Purchase Award for his oil painting October Moon.


Featured in December 2000