Show Preview | Holiday Small Works Show

Scottsdale, AZ
Legacy Gallery, December 12-31

David Mann, Early Thaw, oil, 11 x 14.

David Mann, Early Thaw, oil, 11 x 14.

This story was featured in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art December 2019/January 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

THIS DECEMBER, Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, hosts its 19th annual Holiday Small Works Show. This year’s show features paintings and sculptures—measuring no more than 12 by 16 inches each—by 55 top western artists. The more than 100 works on view depict a wide variety of subjects, from traditional western themes to still lifes, landscapes, figures, and wildlife.

The gallery’s Janell Grady is delighted with the works in the show from some of the gallery’s top artists, including a stunning wildlife painting titled PRAIRIE SUNSET by Ken Carlson. “He is not painting as much as he used to, so we are so very grateful to have a piece from him,” Grady says. “We also received three beautiful pieces from Carrie Ballantyne: a Conté portrait of a Native American girl, an oil cowboy portrait titled DIGNITY, and an oil piece featuring two horses, which I absolutely love because she doesn’t normally paint horses alone,” she says. “That’s one of the many fun things about the small works show—I love that we get some unusual or unexpected works from the artists, and I think they enjoy doing some-thing different for the show, too.”

Another artist whose small works really stand out to Grady is Don Oelze. He brings two pieces to this year’s show, both oils depicting Native Americans outdoors. “The piece titled TRAIL OF FALLING WATER was inspired by one of my favorite situations: Two hunters moving through a wooded and dappled-light trail. I also love waterfalls, so I added one as an afterthought, which seemed to work well and add to the story,” Oelze says. “I always hope that viewers will be able to relate to my interpretations of the historic frontier West as I envision it, and that what moved me to paint the scene will also move them in the same way,” he says.

Grady thinks he achieves this goal and more. “Oelze’s paintings are usually very large, so it’s amazing to see him take those same large-scale concepts and captivating scenes and scale them down without sacrificing on quality,” she says, adding that these pieces are perfect examples of the small but powerful works that make this such a great show.

Additional gallery artists participating this year include Kathy Anderson, Bill Anton, Greg Beecham, Julie Bell, Glenn Dean, Loren Entz, John Fawcett, and David Mann. There are also works in the show by a few invited guest artists, including still-life painter Kelli Folsom and landscape artist Jane Hunt.

The show runs from December 12 through December 31. An artists’ reception and drawing takes place on opening day from 7 to 9 p.m. “The show is sold by draw, which brings quite a crowd of onlookers to see if they are the fortunate ones to purchase these small gems,” says Grady. “It’s a wonderful holiday event and a great opportunity for fine-art connoisseurs or first-time collectors to purchase a small, one-of-a-kind piece of art,” she adds. —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
480.945.1113
www.legacygallery.com

This story was featured in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art December 2019/January 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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