Wild country
John Bye, Stephanie Campos, John Coleman, Hyrum Joe, Dennis Logsdon, John Nieto and David Yorke.
Campos will show a drawing of the Hunkpapa Sioux chief Rain-in-the-face as he once stood in a 1902 photograph by F.B. Fiske. “He was a key leader who fought Custer in the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876,” she says, and notes, “I am captivated by facial features and driven by a strong desire to attain as much accuracy as I can using charcoal as my tool. I enjoy getting to know each face I draw and contemplate their personality and the life they led.”
Yorke’s Calling the Buffalo takes a mystical approach to its historical theme. “The interpretive color scheme and multiple imagery of a single dancer were intended to portray a more trance-like state, as he imagines the calling of his ceremony—the buffalo,” Yorke explains of the Lakota dancer. “Admittedly, I was inspired by some of Kenneth Riley’s more graphic dance images where he used repetitive figures in motion...this somewhat departure from the literal ended up being a refreshing change of pace for me!”
Using photographic references along with his own memory to accomplish his photorealistic works, Bye will show The Breakaway and Kickin Up Dust at the Plainsmen show. “My main inspiration for anything I paint develops from the energy within an image. That could be calm and tranquil but also explosive action,” he says.
The gallery notes that the show, which remains on view through May 26 in Dunedin, Florida, coincides with the opening of the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in nearby St. Petersburg, where many of the gallery artists will have their work exhibited.