Jackson, WY
Astoria Fine Art, July 1-31
This story was featured in the July 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
COME THE summertime in Jackson, WY, the local mountain landscape is abuzz with life as pronghorn, grizzlies, moose, and more make appearances across Grand Teton National Park, many with fawns, cubs, and calves in tow. Meanwhile, the art market in downtown Jackson is also buzzing. “It just seemed like the ideal time to take the strongest part of our inventory and focus on those artists’ works,” says Astoria Fine Art’s managing partner Greg Fulton, alluding to the gallery’s large and diverse selection of wildlife paintings and sculpture by some of the most respected artists working in the genre today. Thus inspired, Astoria hosts Wildlife Art Month throughout July, when brand-new works featuring a menagerie of creatures large and small, feathered and furred, fill much of the spacious gallery.
Presented on a first-come, first-served basis, the exhibition is divided into two separate viewing experiences. From July 1-15, the gallery spotlights contemporary wildlife artists Joshua Tobey, Ewoud de Groot, Mark Eberhard, Allison Leigh Smith, Don Rambadt, Andrew Denman, and Jerry Markham. Then, starting on July 16, the focus turns to traditional artists Luke Frazier, Jay Moore, Mark McKenna, Kelly Dangerfield, Greg Wilson, Rich Loffler, Gerald Balciar, Mike Barlow, and Michael Coleman.
The result is an “all-encompassing showcase” from a who’s who of both established and up-and-coming wildlife artists, says Fulton, hinting that collectors may want to snatch up works in both categories while they can. “Usually, to own a Mark Eberhard original, you have to come to his annual show at our gallery and put your name in a drawing,” he says, referring to the award-winning Cincinnati, OH, artist widely known for his design-focused avian portraits. “For Mark to add a few more paintings to his busy production schedule is a real treat.” Likewise, it’s an opportune time to acquire fresh works by younger talents who “are really hitting the scene strong right now,” notes Fulton, listing Smith, Dangerfield, and McKenna as examples. “They’ve become the hottest new wildlife artists with our collectors.”
The artists hail from around the country, Canada, and the Netherlands, and while some of the subject matter on view reflects that geographic diversity, there’s also “a fair amount of Rocky Mountain wildlife,” says Fulton. In the contemporary category, Denman’s spare but powerful composition LOOKING UP III features his first-ever portrait of a bear. Painted in layers of acrylic and fine-tuned with an oil glaze, the 40-by-30-inch work is the third piece in a series portraying animals “looking up from darkness into an indeterminate light source, with a lot of negative space,” says the Tucson, AZ, artist.
In the traditional category, Utah artist Luke Frazier brings the painterly TETON MELODY, an autumn landscape scene starring a bugling bull elk. “I have always loved the outdoors, and hunting and fishing have been a huge part of my life from the beginning,” Frazier says, adding that elk are one of his favorite animals to paint. “It’s a really cool moment when a big bull bugles his September song. When the lighting is just right, and his heavy breath is hanging in the air, it’s awesome.”
Echoing Frazier’s sentiments, Fulton notes that viewing wildlife, both in nature and in art, can be a restorative experience. “It’s something that brings joy to people,” he says. “Once we get busy again and show these fresh pieces, I think we’ll have a good response.” —Kim Agricola
contact information
307.733.4016
www.astoriafineart.com
This story was featured in the July 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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