Formidable figures
60 new works
Smaller-scale artworks from some of the leading Western artists in the country will be showcased at Insight Gallery’s end-of-the-year small works show, including Jill Carver, John Fawcett, Phil Bob Borman, George Hallmark, Scott Burdick, David Griffin and Jeremy Browne. The exhibition, which hangs from November 26 to December 31, will showcase up to 60 works in total.
Rodeo Gals, illustrating two girls on horseback, is a highly textured piece with thick layers of paint. Burdick, who created the piece, explains that it was inspired by a neighbor down the road from their home in North Carolina who trains girls to participate in rodeos. “This painting depicts two of the girls Lisa trains waiting their turn to enter the barrel racing competition. They also tie goats, rope cows and even do bull riding. The ages are from 5 to 16, and I’m in awe of the guts and determination of these kids!” says Burdick.
A young, headstrong burro trying to be the alpha in his herd is the subject of Hallmark’s oil, Frito. Upon noticing the intriguing behavior of the foal, Hallmark asked his friend—who raises the burros—the new arrival’s name. “He replied that he found him chewing on a corn cob a few days after his birth; he said he smelled like Fritos, thus the moniker.”
“The paintings I will be including in this show are focusing on rural buildings that I find around North America,” says Browne, several of which depict cold, winter scenes, fitting for the season. “My goal is to produce a sense of being in these locations and enjoying the quietness that is often associated with being in the country.” The artist explains that he enjoys recreating the variety of materials that were (and still are) used to construct these hardened buildings.
Other works in the exhibition include Griffin’s Heirloom
of Big Bend and Carver’s Meadow Sunrise, both landscapes with the former depicting a desert scene, and the latter, a clearing surrounded by evergreens. A cityscape by Hsin-yao
Tseng, as well as animal subjects like horses and cattle from a number of other artists are also included in the show.