Show Preview | Museum of the Southwest: American Plains Artists

Midland, TX, August 16-October 14

Tamara Rymer, Midnight Paint, oil, 18 x 24.

This story was featured in the August 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Order the Southwest Art magazine August 2012 print edition here, or purchase the Southwest Art magazine August 2012 digital download here. Or simply click here to subscribe to Southwest Art magazine and never miss a story!

When you think of the Great Plains, variety is probably not the first word that comes to mind. Yet that is precisely what’s on display this month at the American Plains Artists’ 28th annual juried exhibit and sale, hosted by the Museum of the Southwest in Midland, TX.

The exhibit features realistic and representational paintings, drawings, and sculptures of the American Great Plains region—its landscapes, wildlife, people, and cultures of the past and present. “The jury committee does an excellent job at balancing the variety of subject matter and mediums,” says Judy McElroy, show chairperson and a signature member of the American Plains Artists. The show kicks off with the opening reception, awards announcements, and sale on Thursday, August 16, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and continues through October 14. This year’s awards juror is sculptor John Coleman.

Bonnie Conrad, Horsepower, oil, 18 x 24.

Approximately 350 works are entered each year, juried down to 115 for the show. “We pick the best of the best,” McElroy says. The show features works by more than 50 artists, including signature members Tamara Rymer, Bonnie Conrad, and Jean G. Green.
Rymer’s entry this year is titled MIDNIGHT PAINT. “The inspiration for this piece came to me after going out to the barn late at night and noticing how the light-colored horses seem to pop out of the darkness,” the artist says.

Horses are also the subjects of Conrad’s entry, HORSEPOWER, but for a different reason. “The sheer mass, power, and magnificence of a full-grown draft horse are hugely impressive,” Conrad says. “They are superb in form and function.”

Green’s entry PRAIRIE FLOWER portrays  a young Lakota girl who captured the artist’s heart. “My goal for the painting was to share the expression of a young child’s face, when each day is new. If others can see that, then I feel the painting is successful,” Green says.

Formed in 1982, the American Plains Artists is a nonprofit organization of more than 150 artist members whose mission is to educate the public about the American Plains region through traditional and representational art. —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
www.americanplainsartists.com

Featured in the August 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art magazine August 2012 digital download
Southwest Art magazine August 2012 print edition
Or click here to subscribe to Southwest Art magazine and never miss a story!