Center Street Gallery debuts artist Kay Stratman’s new brush paintings at an artist’s reception Thursday, August 20, 5-8:00 p.m. Titled Expect the Unexpected, Stratman’s collective works are, as far as I know, Jackson’s only examples of East Asian sumi-e (墨絵) painting, originated in China. An ancient practice, sumi-e (soo-me-ee) was introduced to Japan in the mid 14th century. Ink and wash paintings at first used only black inks; color washes were added later.
Sumi-e’s tools—stick ink (sumi), grinding stone, fine papers or fabric, and bamboo handled brushes—are known as the Four Treasures. According to practice, Stratman has produced paintings balanced in composition and color. They depict landscapes that, although often inspired by the West, are swathed in Asian delicacy—soft, as well as precise. Misty mountains, swans flying in tandem over serene, mirror-like lakes, snow scenes and liquid portraits of koi, geckos and butterflies are Stratman’s subjects–she renders all using a palette of warm and cool pastel tones.
Sumi-e’s goal is to capture a subject’s soul. “To paint a flower, there is no need to perfectly match its petals and colors, but it is essential to convey its liveliness and fragrance.”
A final note: Stratman is married to new Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Executive Director Paul Hansen. For more information, phone 307.733.1115. www.centerstreetgallery.com.
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Tonalist Jared Sanders’ new collection of works, “A Period of Transition,” also opens Thursday, 5-7:00 pm, at Altamira Fine Art. A chronicler of nature, Sanders’ quiet, harmonic works play out in soft browns, earth yellows, reds, and their balancing cooler tones of blue and green. His compositions are simple, in the realm of the naive. His portrayals of cows in the fields, those colors and structure, can remind me of Milton Avery.
As a rural youngster, Sanders began painting the landscapes of his northern Utah home. “His artistic process is measured and very detailed,” says the gallery. “After scouting potential landscape subjects and taking hundreds of snapshots, he sorts through the best candidates, sketching some in pencil. He then transfers the sketch to gesso board using brown or sienna oils finished in warm gray or ochre tones, focusing on getting the color of one object or shape in the painting perfect.”
Sanders likes the softer, shoulder seasons: Autumn and Spring.
“I like it in autumn after all the leaves have fallen from the trees. And my favorite time is in spring when winter is just barely leaving – nothing is green yet, everything is still dead from the winter, the trees are leafless, the willows are red, and a few patches of snow are left on the ground.”
For information: [email protected]
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Explorer-photographer Jimmy Chin will be at Oswald Gallery on Friday, August 21, 6-9 p.m., to discuss his photographic work and his climbing experiences.
Chin exhibits his views of the extreme landscapes he explores and the people who live in those high and distant countries. Says the Oswald, “From the Karakoram to Mali to Everest and beyond, Chin has traveled the globe, shooting from some of the most inaccessible terrain in the world, all in an attempt to arrest images that go beyond the ambition of the athlete and wanderlust of the explorer. Images that give the audience a glimpse into remote cultures, distant lands and the world of extreme athletes, ultimately giving perspective into the human potential and our own culture.”
Got bliss? Want some if you don’t have it? Visit some of the lands where bliss is a way of life as you view Jimmy Chin’s vibrant photography. www.oswaldgallery.com.
Tammy Christel 
