INSIDE Jackson Hole Art Auction • Wildlife Art • Quest for the West • Glenn Dean SEPTEMBER 2016
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S HOW LO C AT ION JAC K S ON, W Y
UPCOMING SHOW Up to 10 works September 1-30, 2016 Trailside Galleries 130 E. Broadway Jackson, WY 83001 (307) 733-3186
BONNIE MARRIS
The sky’s the limit
T
his summer Bonnie Marris took what she calls a dream trip to an area near the Beartooth Mountains in Montana with her horse. The two-week outing was a fruitful one, as Marris happened upon a wealth of reference material and inspiration—all of which she has channeled into new paintings. “I think the trip that I took with my horse was a dream.
Head On Collision, oil on linen, 16 x 20"
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It’s something I wanted to do since I was a little kid,” says Marris. “[The trip] made me feel so much freer. I feel less confined in working right now; I feel like the sky’s the limit.” This newfound freedom runs throughout Marris’ latest paintings, whether it is the energy and movement of buffalos in a fight or the quiet solitude of a newborn fowl. It moves through
the lighting and the atmosphere, and in some pieces reflects in the power of the animals. In September, approximately 10 of these works will be on display in a solo exhibition titled Bonnie Marris: Immersed in the Wild at Trailside Galleries in Jackson, Wyoming. One of the animals Marris wanted to paint more of this year was the buffalo, and during
Wolves on the Beartooth, oil on linen, 18 x 36"
her trip she went into the park specifically to photograph them. Not only did she capture snaps of calves that were just born, but she also managed to get shots of bulls fighting. The latter scene has played out in her work Head On Collision, an action-packed composition where the two animals are head butting each other and clouds of dust are rising up around them. This action and movement is another element Marris has been striving to depict in her work. Also included will be the intimate animal portrait Buckskin Colt. “On the ranch near where I was camping, a fowl was born, a buckskin fowl. I walked over and asked the owner if I could take photographs,” says Marris of the inspiration for the 36-by-36-inch painting. When reviewing the film, she was taken aback by how the imagery captured the animal, explaining “The lighting was just perfect. [When taking the photos] I had no idea that this would be part of the show, and it is the biggest and kind of the signature painting of the show.” A reception for Immersed in the Wild will take place September 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. Fo r a d i re c t l i n k to t he e x h i b it i n g g a l l e r y g o to w w w. we ste r n a r tc o l l e c to r. c o m
Buckskin Colt, oil on linen, 36 x 36"
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