Why take “a closer look?” What does it mean, relative to plein air painting, to examine the world more closely?
Summer is the season, and Jackson Hole is the place to find out. The summer brings a multitude of artists into the open, where they mingle with wilderness, wildlife and, this year, a blockbuster number of tourists. Like the good people working for the postal service, neither sleet nor snow nor bears eating easels can keep plein air painters from delivering the plein air “mail.”
Plein air painter and partner at Jackson gallery Trio Fine Art, Bill Sawczuk is set to host his summer solo exhibition “A Closer Look.” The show, says the artist, will explore the [myriad talents] of an experienced eye. In partnership with a well-weilded paintbrush, an artist’s eye may take very close examination at its surrounding beauty.
Sawczuk’s work has been largely traditional, primarily broad landscapes, directly translated. “A Closer Look” searches out what doesn’t immediately catch the eye. Seemingly static scenes change, and Sawczuk wants to see what’s new.
“Old cabins in Grand Teton National Park are picturesque to be sure, but there is more to be seen and felt. [I have] tried to express the loneliness and melancholy [I] feel when describing these cabins in a painting. It can take very little to say a lot, to explore the material, and to convey [my] feelings to the viewer.” says the artist.
Can a grand view be presented on a small slice of canvas? The phrase “a closer look” implies searching one’s heart for emotions not openly expressed but that remain deeply powerful. Bill Sawczuk paints his own heart’s responses in this show. http://www.triofineart.com
“A Closer Look”
July 6th through July 23rd
Artist Reception July 7th, 5 to 8 p.m. Artist’s comments at 6 p.m.
FREE and open to the public.
Gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday noon to 6 p.m.
Tammy Christel 
