Donna Howell-Sickles and Mary Roberson

DONNA

HOWELL-SICKLES MY WINDOW FACES WEST August 26 - September 7 Reception September 6 5:00-8:00 PM

MARY

ROBERSON THE NATURE OF CONTEMPORARY IMPRESSIONISM August 26 - September 7

Reception September 6 5:00-8:00 PM

172 center street • po box 4859 • jackson, wyoming • 307.739.4700 • www.altamiraart.com • connect@altamiraart.com

DONNA

HOWELL-SICKLES MY WINDOW FACES WEST Altamira Fine Art is pleased to present My Window Faces West, an exhibit of new work

by Donna Howell-Sickles, August 26-September 7, 2013. Altamira and Bin 22 team up to present a special Palates & Palettes reception for the artist on Friday, September 6, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

When Donna Howell-Sickles first began incorporating cowgirl imagery into her work, she viewed the image of the cowgirl as a fictional character from America’s Old West.

Because of this, her early pictures feature faceless women. The more she researched and met real cowgirls, the more she replaced anonymous women with defined individuals. As her cowgirls came into sharper focus, so too did her articulation of what the American West means. “The West represents the quest for self, for meaning, and for happiness and camaraderie,” she said.

Howell-Sickles works on paper and canvas in a mix of charcoal, pastel and acrylic, often leaving her under-drawing visible. Through her colorful, smiling cowgirls, she has created heroines out of common women. Her work is rich with symbolism and allusions to classical mythology. The color red is always present in her work, as it symbolizes life and energy to the artist. Animals often stand for an obstacle overcome as well as inner strength.

Fittingly, Howell-Sickles was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame in 2007. Her work is in the collections of the Tucson Museum of Fine Art, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, as well as many private and corporate collections in the U.S. and Europe. She and her husband live in Saint Jo, Texas.

Cows in the Corn, Mixed Media, 30 x 30 inches

The Girls from Cottonwood Creek II, Mixed Media, 60 x 40 inches

Laughter by Firelight, Acrylic on Canvas, 18 x 18 inches

Repairs, Oil on Canvas, 40 x 40 inches

“The cowgirl is an accomplished and gutsy rider balanced on potential danger. On another level, she’s every woman constantly readjusting the balance of her own circumstances.”

– Donna Howell-Sickles

Glad to Be Here, Acrylic on Canvas, 48 x 57 inches

Hello Dolly Mixed Media 44 x 30 inches

Hot Spot, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 36 inches

Lil Red Hen Mixed Media 22 x 30 inches

Left Image: You Never Know It Will Take to Balance Mixed Media 40 x 15.5 inches You Are So Sweet Charcoal on Paper 22 x 30 inches

MARY

ROBERSON THE NATURE OF CONTEMPORARY IMPRESSIONISM

Altamira Fine Art is pleased to present The Nature of Contemporary Impressionism, an exhibit of new work by Mary Roberson, August 26-September 7, 2013. Altamira and Bin 22 team up to present a special Palates & Palettes reception for the artist on Friday, September 6, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Utilizing impressionistic and surrealist techniques, Mary Roberson’s paintings invite the viewer to enter into her vision of the world, where animals possess totemic meaning and texture and movement come alive. For Roberson, wildlife is a symbol of the workings of the universe. Her thick brushstrokes evoke the dense underbrush where many of her western wildlife subjects make their homes. Recently she has been traveling to Africa and painting the incredible wildlife she sees there.

Roberson lives in Idaho, where she takes advantage of nearby Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks for inspiration. She has said that she feels that wildlife chooses her as subject matter, rather than the other way around. For Roberson, composition is the driving force and she uses a muted palette in order to highlight the composition. She builds her paintings through layers of paint, with representational images of animals against earth-tone backgrounds. The understated effect hints at meanings seen and unseen.

Roberson has captured the attention of private collectors and museums alike. She was the featured painter at the 2010 Western Visions Show & Sale at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Her painting, “The Mystic Forest,” is part of the museum’s permanent collection.

Autumn Challenge, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 36 inches

Don’t Buy Ivory, Mixed Media on Canvas, 52 x 52 inches

Colors of Kenya, Oil on Linen, 42 x 42 inches

For the Wild, Oil on Canvas 48 x 60 inches

Mystique, Oil on Canvas and Wood, 18 x 21 inches Yup, The Ranch is Mine, Oil on Canvas mounted on Board, 32 x 48 inches Proud Missy, Oil and Encaustic on Canvas Mounted on Wood, 16 x 16 inches Portrait of a Bison Bull, Oil on Canvas, 14 x 11 inches

“Some artists look for composition or light, but what inspires me is a kind of love of nature, more so than any artistic element. I’m blessed that I can express that through painting.”

– Mary Roberson

The Spring Marsh Celebration Oil on Canvas Mounted on Panel 35 x 42 inches

A Story of the Plains, Mixed Media on Canvas mounted on Board, 32 x 48 inches

Simple Connection, Mixed Media on Wood, 24 x 24 inches

To Bee or Not to Bee, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 36 inches

Embraced, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 40 inches

For more information please contact Dean Munn at dean@altamiraart.com or Katherine Harrington at katherine@altamiraart.com or call 307.739.4700 www.altamiraart.com