Santa Fe, NM
Manitou Galleries, August 5-19
This story was featured in the August 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art August 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
Manitou Galleries juxtaposes two bodies of work that are informed by the Southwest this month with an exhibition of artwork by wildlife sculptor Jim Eppler and visionary landscape painter B.C. Nowlin. The show opens on Friday, August 5, at Manitou’s West Palace location with a reception for the artists from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Guests will be treated to live mariachi music and wine served on the gallery’s portal overlooking historic Palace Avenue.
The gallery has paired Eppler and Nowlin in several previous summer shows, and this latest edition includes more than a dozen pieces from each artist. Eppler’s newest work at Manitou includes his signature bronze sculptures of birds, rabbits, wolves, and other animated, naturalistic animals in life-size (or sometimes larger-than-life) renderings. He debuts his first reptile sculpture—a rattlesnake—here as well. “Jim Eppler has a remarkable ability to breathe life into his bronze sculptures of ravens and other animals from the western United States,” remarks Matt Mullins, the gallery’s marketing coordinator.
A life spent observing animal behavior and mannerisms has allowed Eppler to create highly detailed re-creations of creatures that evoke energy through a subtle conversation between stillness and movement. “I know my fascination with wildlife has been lifelong and much stronger than most people I have known,” Eppler says. “For me, critters and mashing clay around to look like them has always been a given. I think some of it might be a way to extend the experience of seeing something in nature, which is often a fleeting moment. I have been lucky enough to have an opportunity to share my expressions with others, who usually have had the same lifelong passion.”
Nowlin’s collection features his optically saturated large-scale oil paintings, including one canvas that measures 6 by 9 feet. In typical fashion for Nowlin, who likes to offer viewers broad and diverse visuals, the subject matter varies from tribal scenes to old motels to burning vehicles and more. Situated in dynamic environments that at times approach the surreal, the narratives are freely painted and imbued with vivid colors and discernible textures throughout. Nowlin describes his work as channeling the “mystical” Southwest—informed by his native New Mexico but also relying on the ethereal and universal. His subjects remain ambiguous, not rooted in a specific time, place, or population. “They’re about life,” he says, “about the human journey.”
“B.C. Nowlin has a very fresh style and a loose, expressionistic method of paint handling,” says Mullins, and indeed, the artist refers to his work as “exaggerated impressionism.” He paints strictly from his imagination, without using sketches or photographs for reference. “I paint what I feel like painting,” Nowlin adds.
Mullins is excited to exhibit Eppler and Nowlin alongside one another again, bringing distinct but equally engaging work to Santa Fe audiences. “Although their artwork is different, we feel that they complement each other. I think both artists are very good at working with a theme and finding many interesting and surprising variations within it.” The show runs through August 19. —Elizabeth L. Delaney
contact information
505.986.0440
www.manitougalleries.com
This story was featured in the August 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art August 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
MORE RESOURCES FOR ART COLLECTORS & ENTHUSIASTS
• Subscribe to Southwest Art magazine
• Learn how to paint & how to draw with downloads, books, videos & more from North Light Shop
• Sign up for your Southwest Art email newsletter & download a FREE ebook