The Artists of Trailside Galleries Grand Re-opening-Western Art Collector, November 2016

INSIDE John Coleman • Small Works & Miniatures • Trailside Grand Re-opening NOVEMBER 2016

0

111

Cover111.indd 1

9/29/16 2:39 PM

UPCOMING GROUP SHOW

S HOW LO C AT ION S COT T S DA L E , A Z

Up to 35 works November 1-30, 2016 Trailside Galleries 7340 E. Main Street, Suite 120 Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) 945-7751

A triumphant return

I

n January, Trailside Galleries packed up and moved out of the space it had occupied for more than 40 years while it underwent an extensive renovation. The gallery didn’t move far when it chose a temporary location a stone’s throw away. But, as they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder, even when the distance is several dozen feet.

On November 1, after a lengthy time away, Trailside Galleries will once again show artwork in its original location. The Artists of Trailside Galleries – A Grand Re-Opening will feature artwork by 35 of the gallery’s top Western and representational artists. A special champagne reception will be held November 5, from 1 to 5 p.m., during which time guests and visiting artists can take a look at the updated and streamlined new gallery space.

“I believe our remodel is quite timely

given the many changes taking place in Scottsdale, particularly in Old Town, which is the heart of the arts district. The area is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, bringing in new upscale restaurants, clubs and any number of new apartments, condos and lofts, which are appealing to part-time as well as full-time residents who want to be more centered in the Old Town district and within walking distance to fine dining, shopping, the art galleries and entertainment,” gallery director Joan Griffith says. “We are all quite excited about moving back into our space in early October. While we have downsized a bit, now occupying about 3,100 square feet, the space will suit us very well as we move forward. After so many years with a traditional look, we have given the gallery a slightly more contemporary flow that will beautifully showcase all the genres of

art for which we are so well known, including Western and wildlife art, as well as landscapes, figurative and impressionist works. I am confident our artists and collectors will find the new and improved Trailside to be a welcomed and refreshing change!”

Artists with works in the show include JoAnn Peralta, Bill Nebeker, Logan Maxwell Hagege, Deborah Fellows, Fred Fellows, Howard Rogers, Dustin Van Wechel, Jenness Cortez, Matt Smith, Ron Kingswood and many others.

Mark Maggiori, who only recently joined the gallery, will have new work on display including his dramatic cowboy scene Thunderhead Riders. “My idea behind Thunderhead Riders was to create very dramatic scenery with gigantic monsoon clouds that you only find in Arizona during that season. I also got very inspired by those colors you find in old movies like Gone With the Wind or old Westerns that I was watching on VHS when I was young,” the French artist says. “I’ve been using black in my palette to get the contrast as deep as possible.

It’s a total no-no in the impressionist palette, but it’s good to break the rules sometimes to get off the tracks and feel in danger… just like those thunderhead riders. You can hear the faraway noise of the rolling thunder and already smelling the desert rain...the best feeling ever. People from Arizona and the high desert will know what I’m talking about.”

Similar in subject matter, but unique in its own way, is Night Wrangler by Bill Anton, which is a nocturne with a rider following three horses down a rugged embankment.

The Arizona artist says the piece reminds him of his own experiences in similar conditions. “Nothing epitomizes the mystery and romance of the West like a moonlit night. Studying moonlight, especially in rough

Morgan Weistling, The Catch of the Day, oil, 30 x 40"

66

Mark Maggiori, Thunderhead Riders, oil on linen, 24 x 30"

Tucker Smith, On the Move, oil, 15 x 30"

67

Robert Duncan, An Icy Crossing, oil on canvas, 24 x 36"

Bill Anton, Night Wrangler, oil on linen, 30 x 36"

68

country, is fascinating and lends itself to endless interpretation,” Anton says. “Whether this cowboy has just startled some of the ranch ponies on his way home or whether he’s bringing in three for tomorrow’s work…I’ll leave that to the viewer. Any excuse to paint the cool intensity of a Western moon on canyon and cayuse, I’ll take it.”

Other works include two magnificent bird scenes from Ron Kingswood: The Narrows, which measures 100 inches wide, and Pheasant, which features its main subject within tall stalks of corn. Kyle Sims will be showing the bear scene On Marmot Grounds, and Robert Duncan and Z.S. Liang will both bring new pieces showing Native Americans.

The Liang piece, titled Looking Down to the Prairie, depicts a single figure posed in front of his horse. The figure holds his rifle proudly.

“Winter is imminent,” Liang says of the piece.

“The young Piegan looks down to the prairie to

Z.S. Liang, Looking Down to the Prairie, oil, 43 x 32"

Kyle Sims, On Marmot Grounds, oil on canvas, 30 x 40"

see if there is any game animal. He has to gain enough meat to sustain his family for the long, harsh, cold winter.”

Morgan Weistling’s The Catch of the Day will reintroduce characters that sharp-eyed viewers might have seen in many of the artist’s other works, all of which tell elaborate stories about simpler times in 19th-century American history. In the painting, three children of varying ages watch as a fish is pulled in with a wooden fishing pole. A dog also watches nearby, seemingly ready to jump in after the splashing fish. “I grew up fishing and have always loved that feeling when I could feel my line get nibbled and then suddenly the excitement of the catch. There is a sense of mystery attached to fishing, of never knowing what might be on the end of that line when you pull it out of the water,” Weistling says.

“Whether you are using an expensive state of the art rod and reel, or an old wooden pole with a string and worm on the hook, the experience remains the same and that’s what I tried to capture here in this world of childhood wonders that I have painted for 20 years.”

The Artists of Trailside Galleries – A Grand Re-Opening will be on view through November 30.

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 le c to r. c o m

Ron Kingswood, Pheasant, oil on canvas, 60 x 54"

69