Collector’s Focus: Western Landscapes
Jeff Aeling seeks the vast open landscape where he can absorb its power intimately, devoid of the presence of buildings, people and their impact on the environment. There, nature is unfettered—rain falls and nourishes plant life and replenishes the underground aquifer. The watered plants turn sunlight into energy for growth, absorbing water and carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen. The vistas inspire awe regardless of the viewer’s knowledge of what is happening in the clouds or beneath the surface of the land.
Often two-thirds sky, paintings like Thunderstorm S. of Denver #1 illustrate the cycle of life that continues without the intervention of man. Aeling paints with an economy of detail but captures the subtle gradations of light in the clouds and the on the prairie, trees rhythmically placed across the panel, reflecting his life-long interest in music.
The water from rainstorms permeates the soil and often emerges as mountain springs that are the source of streams that become great rivers. Kathleen Dunphy paints The Source, of a river in the moment, in plein air. She began drawing as a child but didn’t turn to fine art seriously until she was in her 30s and now approaches her career with passion. She paints primarily on location, returning to her studio for the final touches. Like Aeling, there is the sense of the essence of the scene rather than an abundance of detail. She and her husband
are fishermen and know water and streams intimately observing the effect of changing light on their surface and in their depths.
As streams become rivers and begin to carve the landscape, they reveal past times in the strata of rocks they lay bare. In his painting Time Exposure, Len Chmiel shows a river rounding a bend, exposing the rocks and nourishing the cottonwoods. The painting was awarded the Robert Lougheed Memorial Artist’s Choice Award at the 2018 Prix de West at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Chmiel also paints the essence of a scene, saying, “I used to try to control everything but now I allow my intuition to speak more. I try to stretch the truth of what the actual image is. I never wind up with a real representation.
I do things that are recognizable, yes, but I have a much different intention.” In his masterful composition the river leads the eye across the width of the canvas and back again—the eroded cliff in dark shadow and the sun of the golden hour lighting up the tall cottonwood.
Rivers eventually make it to the sea— unless their water is diverted, leaving the end of its course dry. The Carmel River winds its way down from the Santa Lucia Mountains in California, meeting the sea just south of Carmel. Dennis Doheny knows California. His family has lived there for three generations.
His father told him, “Paint what you know!”
He hopes his familiarity with the landscape and his attachment to it “manifests itself in the paintings as well.” Doheny is more concerned with detail than the previous artists commenting, “I can rough in a painting in an hour to when it’s 90 percent done, but the last 10 percent can take a week and a half.”
Carmel River is the result of his careful observation of the effects of late afternoon light to the reflection of gulls in the water. He makes plein air sketches and takes photographs which he refers to back in his studio. He loses himself in the process of painting as we do when we immerse ourselves in the result.
Throughout the pages of this special
section, collectors can browse through even more landscapes capturing the dynamic weather systems and environments of the West, among other Western-inspired content.
Darcie Peet’s Tinged in Autumn and Azure features snowcapped mountains under a vibrant blue sky. “Painting at the Broadmoor Galleries’ Art Experience, in Colorado Springs, I meet so many visitors to Colorado from other parts of the country…they all echo the same feelings and reactions to being able to experience our high country. Rich blue skies, crisp, fresh air, rushing streams, sweeping peaks laced in snow and many folks recalling their skiing experiences in Colorado.”
Jan Delipsey’s paintings depict her experience of the landscape in a candid way with the intention to enhance the viewer’s life. Her landscapes pay homage to the natural world through the language of light and shadow, shape and color. “For me, the simplest view of a mesa or a lone standing tree brings forth deep emotions that cannot be explained with words,” says the artist. “I feel driven to share my love of the outdoors with others and one way to do that is through painting.”
Showcasing a variety of Western-inspired works, including many landscapes, Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio,
Texas, holds its annual Night of Artists show beginning in March—this year’s show opens on March 27. “Night of Artists is a premier showcase of emerging and well-renowned contemporary Western artists,” says Michael
Duchemin, museum president and CEO.
“When looking at my paintings, I hope to inspire a recognition by the viewer of a spiritual element in my paintings of the landscape,” says Ginna Rossi, who is represented by Canyon Road Contemporary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “I think many of us gravitate to Santa Fe because of this recognition. It can give you permission to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern world and helps you contemplate nature, the countryside, mountains or desert and the ever-present pervasive spirit of the universe,” she says.
“The American West is hard to put into words, which is why I’m more at home describing it with my visual language,” says John P. Lasater IV. “My favorite thing is probably the great distances of Colorado which are clear and observable in the dry air, and secondly its towering rocks and trees.
I’ve had the pleasure of painting it from life many times throughout my career, but often feel regret that I didn’t spend more time just experiencing it through my other senses.”
The Museum of the Big Bend holds its 34th annual Trappings of Texas show beginning
April 16. “The artists who show their work in
Trappings of Texas are ranch people. The land and animals that they care for inform the works that they create. The tip of the hat, how the boots ride in the stirrup, how the reins are held—these folks accurately portray the cowboy culture,” says museum director Mary Bones.
Carbon County Arts Guild & Depot
Gallery in Red Lodge, Montana, hosts its
47th Annual Art in the Beartooths on July 11, featuring an array of Western landscape works. New this year, Art in the Beartooths will start with a 90-minute Quick Finish. This is the
chance for guests to watch 30 artists create art in Lions Park, where the event is held.
Richard Alan Nichols of Nichols Studio has a natural ability for art born out of a strong foundation in traditional impressionism.
He has exhibited in numerous national and international juried exhibitions including those of the Oil Painters of America, the Society of
Master Impressionists, American Impressionists and many others. The artist currently lives in the foothills of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in the art mecca of Taos, New Mexico, known for its stunning landscapes.
“The landscape of the West is often what I would call other-earthly,” says artist Jeff
Love. “The sheer cliffs that touch the skies and the timeless beauty of the distant stone cast a spell on those who have the pleasure of viewing them. Coming from the farmlands of Ohio, I was forever changed after viewing the vast majesty that the West holds. The massive shadows and forms continue to draw me into its ever-changing dance of color. I will be forever chasing after it.”