Bushwhacking through dense underbrush and tangled bunches of new and old-growth forest one afternoon with two of the three Trio Fine Art artists, I finally “got” what determination means when it comes to plain air painting. I’ve loved and been close to plain air for decades, but rarely get a chance to go with painters to protected, coveted painting sites. This day was different, and following the footsteps of Jennifer Hoffman and Bill Sawczuk as they marked a painting spot on protected land can be defined, without hesitation, as adventure.
When bellowing bull elk bear down on you, suggesting you’d be better off moving some yards to the south, you pick up your paint box and move it. Hoffman tells the story of that day much better than I; We ventured out on the Ladd property. You think you know what you’re doing, but this valley is always full of surprises…read the story here.
View22: Painting Jackson Hole’s Open Spaces is a collaboration and fundraiser art exhibition featuring the works of artists Kathryn Turner, Hoffman and Sawczuk. The exhibition’s opening reception takes place Friday, December 6th, at Trio Fine Art on North Cache. Time is 5-8 pm, with artists’ remarks beginning at 6pm. The exhibition remains up through December 21st. A portion of exhibition sales benefit the Jackson Hole Land Trust.
Drawing inspiration from Thomas Moran, the painter responsible for capturing Yellowstone’s rugged beauty so magnificently that Congress declared it and Grand Teton as national parks, View 22 celebrates the Jackson Hole Land Trust’s conservation efforts that have so dramatically affected our open spaces, and works to further cement the eternal bond between art and nature.
This past summer and early fall saw Turner, Hoffman and Sawczuk visiting an array of preserved open spaces, often not available to the public, and painting their landscapes, wildlife and historic valley structures. Besides benefitting the Land Trust, this show shines a light on special land tracts many of us don’t get a chance to see. Or, if you have had the luck to visit them, you may view each of these places anew. Eighteen protected properties were captured en plein air for the project; 23,000 acres have been protected by the Land Trust.
“As full-time landscape painters in Jackson Hole, we have a vital interest in the preservation of open space within our valley. It is the natural beauty found in wide open spaces that inspires our creativity. Through sharing our interpretations of the landscape, we hope to shine a spotlight on the importance of conservation efforts made possible by the Jackson Hole Land Trust,” said Turner, Hoffman, and Sawczuk.
A View 22 produced video of the artists, their activities and several locations they visited can be viewed here.
Land Trust Executive Director Laurie Andrews is thrilled with Trio Fine Art’s commitment. “Through Trio’s artists’ deep understanding of how the valley’s protected open spaces affect their daily lives, and [through] their talent and creativity, they’ve shown us all a very special view of [the Land Trust’s] work.”
For more information contact Trio Fine Art at 307.734.4444, or phone the Land Trust’s Leslie Steen at 307.733.4707. Email: [email protected] www.triofineart.com www.jhlandtrust.org
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FACES, an exhibition of portraits curated by painter Sharon Thomas, opens at the Art Association on Friday, December 6th (see above!). The same evening, TETON PLEIN AIR, an exhibition curated by Bobbi Miller, also opens. The two shows share a kick-off reception that evening, 5:30 – 7:30 pm.
The Portrait Club differs from life drawing in that there is only one fixed and clothed pose for each three-hour session, says the Art Association. These longer sitting time enables artists to capture their subject’s features as well as develop a figurative painting or drawing. Artists include Eliot Goss, Bobbi Miller, Joseph Branca, and Barbara Trentham.
Over 60 plein air painters make up Teton Plein Air. The group has been painting together for two years and its members share a great enthusiasm for the style. A “P&P” (portraits, plein air) for the holiday season!
The Teton Mudpot Christmas Sale, offering ceramics, jewelry and photography, is open for business 10am -7pm that very same day—December 6th, 2013! www.artassociation.org
Tammy Christel 
