Out West, a two-woman show featuring new works by Mary Roberson and Amy Ringholz, opens at Altamira Fine Art on Thursday, July 21. A reception will be held at the gallery from 5-8 pm, and the exhibition will be on display July 18-31, 2011.
Ringholz rocketed to success. Her bold, mosaic-like paintings of wildlife caught the public’s eye quickly, and she sells like hotcakes. Ringholz is firmly part of a small group of artists credited with establishing new Western Contemporary art genres. It’s an impressive group and includes the likes of Bill Schenck and John Nieto; as well as the early master painters of the West and Southwest. There is no mistaking Ringholz’s swirling big-love painting style. I’d be remiss to not point out Ringholz’s new black and white paintings, a departure from her use of full, saturated colors. These new paintings recall the elegance of Japanese calligraphy.
Mary Roberson’s fluid and mystical paintings belie the artist’s great drafting talents. Roberson believes creativity is “natural and distinct to every individual,” and she avoided over-exposure to formal teaching. Despite the weight and tone of Roberson’s colors her paintings seem visionary. Great beasts of the earth float towards us, then recede. Her works possess a temporal wisdom, and one might imagine Roberson as a chosen recipient of messages sent from animal spirits. She passes these messages on to us, reminding us of the power of wildlife, of the essential inner knowledge of animals and the lessons they may bring us.
•
Trailside Galleries and the Gerald Peters Gallery will present the 5th Annual Jackson Hole Art Auction on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts. The
Auction has released information on several lots likely to spur active bidding battles.
John Clymer’s Marie Dorian-Winter Refuge, a 40 x30 inch oil, lists an estimate of $200,000-$300,000.
Bob Kuhn’s Leopard in a Sausage Tree, a 24 x 36 inch acrylic, estimates at $150,000-$250,000.
Maynard Dixon’s Cowpuncher, a 30 x 25 inch oil, has an estimate of $400,000-$600,000.
Frederic Remington’s Bronco Buster (no.16), bronze, is estimated to sell between $400,000-$600,000.
Olaf C. Seltzer’s Charles Russell on Horseback, 12 x 8 inch watercolor, estimates at $25,000-$35,000.
G. Harvey’s Pigeon’s Corner, a 50 x 40 inch oil, is estimated at $150,000-$250,000.
Many more exciting lots will be announced; the Auction’s catalog will be available in August, 2011. This auction consistently breaks its own records for attendance and bidder registration and is fast becoming one of the most important great masters Western art auctions.
For more information, contact Auction Coordinator Lucy P. Grogan. Phone: 866 JH WY ART (549-9278). www.jacksonholeartauction.com
•
Tammy Christel 
