Fresh Paint

HIGHLIGHTS FROM UP-AND-COMING ARTISTS AND BRAND NEW WORKS AVAILABLE IN STUDIOS AND GALLERIES AROUND THE COUNTRY

1 New woodblock prints available from Leon Loughridge

A fresh work coming from Leon Loughridge’s studio is this new woodblock titled December Evening, which shows the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The famous church is just a block from the Santa Fe Plaza and has bells that ring daily. The artist created the print using the Moku Hanga style of printmaking adopted by Japanese artists more than 700 years ago.

See more of Loughridge’s work at his website, www.dcartpress.com.

2 Jeffrey Pugh shows new work at Meyer Gallery in Utah

Now available at Meyer Gallery in Park City, Utah, are new paintings by artist Jeffrey Pugh. His recent work, released during the February show Time Well Spent, are tranquil farm scenes, many involving chickens, cows and barns. This one is titled Hen House. Pugh often paints objects at a distance, which allows him to compress forms into the landscape and deep into the horizon. Additionally, he also stands directly perpendicular to his subjects, creating hard right angles on roofs, barn doors and cows.

See his new work at www.meyergallery.com.

3 Diana Woods unveils new work in Colorado

Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt, Colorado, has new paintings by Diana Woods, including this work, Big

Sky, showing a woman standing on a horse against prairie and clouds. Not only is Woods a painter, but she’s also a sculptor. “My paintings and sculpture address the spiritual connection we have with the natural world,” she says. The Colorado artist grew up on horseback and today uses those experiences, and new ones she has acquired, to inform her work about the West.

See his new work at www.korologosgallery.com.

4 And now for something a little different

Brad Overton has created a small collection of five works that call back to the pin-up images of artists like Mel Ramos, Gil Elvgren and Alberto Vargas. Titled Sirens of the Southwest, the series shows women, many in Western wear or scenery, against blocks of color, colorful bullseyes and loosely painted backgrounds. This painting, Heart of Gold, has a sunset-like logo behind the figure. “I’m really combining pin-up art, cowgirls and a hitchhiking motif to portray an armed Western siren,” the artist says. The works are now on view at Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

See more of the series at www.blueraingallery.com.