Show Preview | Phoenix Art Museum: The West Select

Phoenix, AZ
November 10-December 31

Dean Mitchell, Thirsty, watercolor, 22 x 30.

Dean Mitchell, Thirsty, watercolor, 22 x 30.

This story was featured in the November 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art November 2013 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

Artworks by 34 top painters and sculptors who cast their creative eyes on the West are on view in The West Select, a show opening on November 10 at the Phoenix Art Museum. The third annual event is known for its broad perspective on the region, with works that encompass not only historic cowboy and Native American imagery but also contemporary life on the region’s ranches and ranges. The presentation features landscape, still-life, wildlife, and figurative works in a variety of media, including oil, pastel, graphite, bronze, and watercolor. “The Phoenix Art Museum has been nationally recognized for its commitment to the art of the American West for more than 50 years,” says James K. Ballinger, museum director. “The West Select represents the breadth of western American art today in exciting, dynamic ways.”

Ann Hanson, Private Conversation, oil, 20 x 20.

Ann Hanson, Private Conversation, oil, 20 x 20.

This year the juried show presents more than 100 works by returning artists such as Len Chmiel, Ann Hanson, William Shepherd, Don Stinson, and Arturo Chávez, as well as works by a cadre of new artists, including Gary T. Erbe, Logan Maxwell Hagege, Donna Howell-Sickles, Tom Palmore, Robert Peters, and Matt Smith.

Florida-based watercolorist Dean Mitchell has participated in the show since its inception in 2011. Mitchell appreciates the all-encompassing, modern view of the West that the show takes into account. “The western shows, for the most part, are pretty conservative, with a narrow perspective on the West,” Mitchell says. “This show is great because the curator, Jerry Smith, wants artists to show different aspects of the West rather than the predictable.”

In Mitchell’s painting THIRSTY, the artist expresses the effect of the dry Arizona heat on vegetation. “The mere fact that the plants still stand majestically against the brutal heat is amazing and beautiful,” he says. “I think water is going to be a huge issue in generations to come, not just in the West but worldwide.”

D. LaRue Mahlke, Connectivity, pastel, 36 x 48.

D. LaRue Mahlke, Connectivity, pastel, 36 x 48.

This is D. LaRue Mahlke’s first time participating in The West Select, and she is thrilled to be included, she says. Her painting, CONNECTIVITY, is the first in a series of works she conceived following a visit this summer to Yellowstone National Park. Mahlke was unable to paint on location because it was peak tourist season. But the Texas-based artist took note of the vibrant colors in the pools and the tonal subtleties of the ground surrounding them. “The imagery of the place, West Thumb Geyser Basin, stayed with me all the way home and into my studio,” Mahlke says.

The show opens on Friday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a special viewing for ticket holders, followed by the sale at 5:30 p.m. Tickets cost $125. Attendees submit intent-to-purchase slips for works they want to buy, and the first name drawn has the option to buy. This “luck of the draw” method not only proves exciting but also offers equal opportunity for both the first-time buyer and the seasoned collector. The show opens to the general public on Sunday, November 10, and continues through December 31. —Bonnie Gangelhoff

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Featured in the November 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art November 2013 print issue or digital download
Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!


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