Show Preview | Collectors’ Reserve

Tulsa, OK
Gilcrease Museum, October 25-November 8

Kenny McKenna, Two Riders Below Three Sisters, Oil on linen, 20 x 15.

Kenny McKenna, Two Riders Below Three Sisters, Oil on linen, 20 x 15.

This story was featured in the October 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art October 2015 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story

The Gilcrease Museum’s sixth annual Collectors’ Reserve art exhibition and sale serves two important purposes. Collectors have the opportunity to view and purchase fine works of art created by more than 100 artists from coast to coast, including Joshua Tobey, Sherrie McGraw, Matt Smith, Kathy Anderson, and Dean Mitchell. And at the same time, the 66-year-old Tulsa, OK, museum raises money for its acquisition fund.

For this year’s show, which opens on Sunday, October 25, more than 200 works are expected in a broad range of styles, subject matter, and media, including works in oil, watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, bronze, stone, wood, and more. “A broad range of representational work is what the museum’s founder, Thomas Gilcrease, collected,” explains the museum’s director of art sales, Linda Galbraith.

For many years, the museum presented an annual fall show called American Art in Miniature—which focused on artworks with western imagery—until collectors asked for a broader range of works and subject matter, such as paintings of Mexico and European scenes, similar to the range of work Gilcrease himself collected. Collectors’ Reserve debuted in 2010 offering a more diverse selection. One third of the show’s paintings are considered miniatures (9 by 12 inches or smaller), and the rest are considered small works (up to 16 by 20 inches).

Oklahoma artist Kenny McKenna presents three landscapes of Arizona and California. Having lived in both Arizona and New Mexico, McKenna has been painting the Southwest—an area that’s close to his heart—for many years. “I’ve been part of [the Gilcrease shows] since 1995, and it really feels like home to me,” he says.

Claudia Seymour, Red Clover Seeds, oil, 12 x 24.

Claudia Seymour, Red Clover Seeds, oil, 12 x 24.

Connecticut painter Claudia Seymour is looking forward to her first experience at the show. “I’m so glad they found me,” says the still-life artist. “It’s a real thrill for me to display my work in front of a new audience.” Seymour likes to combine old items, such as things her grandmother owned, with fresh flowers and produce in her paintings.

Collectors have a chance to buy their favorite works during the hors d’oeuvre and cocktail reception beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, which is attended by 20 to 25 of the participating artists. While light jazz plays in the background, a volunteer staff of well-informed art marshals can answer questions about select artists and their works. Anyone not able to attend the fixed-price drawing at 7 p.m. can register as an absentee buyer or purchase works not sold that evening on the museum’s website though November 16. Five awards are given out during the evening, including one for Best of Show.

Two artists’ demonstrations precede the sale, with Oklahoma landscape and still-life painter Kelli Folsom scheduled on Sunday, November 1, from 1 to 3 p.m. and William J. Kalwick Jr. demonstrating the technique of portraiture from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4. —Emily Van Cleve

contact information
918.596.2758

www.gilcrease.org

Featured in the October 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art October 2015 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!

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