The Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
October 30-November 7
Martin Grelle, Tales of Glories Past, oil, 38 x 60.
When Texas-born-and-bred Martin Grelle talks about the art of painting, his subjects, and the West itself, the word “love” comes to him naturally, frequently, and wholeheartedly. So the title of his solo exhibition at The Legacy Gallery, For the Love of the West, seems a wholly appropriate expression of Grelle’s passions. The exhibition—his first at the gallery in four years—includes 15 to 20 diverse and authentic images: American Indians in action and in repose, proud steeds, and present-day farmers tending the land.
The show debuts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 30, when Grelle presents a talk entitled “Art the Way I See It.” As he stands in front of a large screen, he explains, “They’ll project images of the new pieces, and I’ll talk people through the process of creating them—from the research and references I use, to the first drawing, and through the stages of painting until I finally sign it.” A reception and sale take place that evening at 6 p.m., during which some of the works are sold in an auction and others via a drawing of the lucky purchasers’ names.
-
- Martin Grelle, The Gifts of Summer, oil, 24 x 46.
-
- Martin Grelle, Cheyenne Sewing Class, oil/acrylic, 42 x 42.
-
- Martin Grelle, The Run, oil, 44 x 58.
Interest is sure to run very high for these latest creations from Grelle, who had his first professional show in 1974, the year after he graduated from high school, and went on to win widespread acclaim at prestigious shows including the Prix de West Invitational, Masters of the American West, Quest for the West, and Cowboy Artists of America, of which he’s been a member since 1995. Credit those accomplishments to a combination of innate talent, mentoring in his youth from neighbors and CAA members James Boren and Melvin Warren, and Grelle’s deep faith. “I pray every morning that somehow, whatever it is I’m painting touches, and is a blessing to, someone,” he says.
Blessings great and small abound in the show. In the large-scale TALES OF GLORIES PAST, for example, Grelle depicts three young braves seated inside a hide lodge, attending to every word spoken by an older man as—bow in hand—he recounts the story of an achievement from his younger days. “I’d been mulling this one in my head for a long time,” the artist says with a laugh, “trying to piece it together.” By contrast, the inspiration for THE GIFTS OF SUMMER came to him in a moment a few years ago while he was driving through northern Colorado and happened to spot two ranchers raking hay with teams of horses. A photo he took became his reference for the work.
-
- Martin Grelle, Warrior’s Horse, oil/acrylic, 24 x 14.
-
- Martin Grelle, Blackfoot Passage Seekers, oil, 48 x 60.
-
- Martin Grelle, The Umbrella Keeper, oil, 30 x 18.
One particularly touching piece found its subject much closer to home: one of Grelle’s horses, named Sarge. Backed by the setting sun, which sets his mane, forelock, and whiskers aglow, Sarge posed for the lovingly observed WARRIOR’S HORSE, to which the artist added authentic war paint—on the canvas, not on Sarge himself. “That’s one of my favorite small paintings in the show,” Grelle admits. Visitors to the exhibition will no doubt easily find their own favorites. —Norman Kolpas
contact information
480.945.1113
www.legacygallery.com
This story appeared in the October/November 2021 issue of Southwest Art magazine.