Virtual offerings
Online show
During our continually changing environment, innovation abounds in Trailside Galleries’ new virtual show titled The Online Catalogue. Trailside has worked hard to create a bountiful collection for collectors and art lovers alike, showcasing their many talented Western, wildlife, figurative, impressionist and landscape artists.
Artist Morgan Weistling, known for his storytelling narratives depicting all aspects of the Old West, will be displaying his new work focused on the American cowboy and townsman of the West. While he has an upcoming solo show with Trailside, you can get a sneak preview of his piece Silence Broken at Coyote Creek, 1897, for the Online exhibit. Weistling is also known for his use of light to convey a mood and further the concepts he’s
inspired by. “[In Silence Broken], one can see how the dog and his master have both had their attention taken from out of the frame, the viewer now has had the scene expanded to a story that the imagination can now fill. An oil lamp wraps its light around the forms of the main players and invites you to the banks of Coyote Creek.” Viewers will also see breathtaking scenes in pieces like The Backbone of the World, by Z.S. Liang. He’s been heavily influenced by his special connection with the Blackfeet people of the northwestern part of Montana. “A couple years ago, when I climbed up Chief Mountain, I suddenly felt that the Blackfeet were unique in that they had the chance to stand high above to look around the word,” says Liang. “So many paintings came to my mind and Backbone was one of them.”
In addition, Liang has always been interested in eagles and eagle dancers. “For many tribes… the eagle is the only animal with the ability to connect people with the higher world,” Liang explains. “When I saw a Hopi eagle dance, the feeling they got into was very touching. I could sense how their spirits got off the ground and flew higher and higher.” Viewers can see this inspiration come to life in his powerful piece,
Flying High.
For lovers of wildlife, the fine craftsmanship and skill of Kyle Sims will be on view. Like most wildlife artists, Sims enjoys having experience in nature, capturing many animal scenes on photograph to take back to his studio, and occasionally conducting field paintings. “My ideas come from my imagination and then I have to find the photographs to pull off the idea,” Sims explains. “Ideas may spur from a single landscape, or I may even see a photo in a book...once I am excited about something, I usually go straight to my small sketchbook.”
While Sims remains a traditionalist, he’s currently exploring the abstract within the realm of reality. He also has quite the love affair with color and is always fine tuning his technique and skill. These elements can be seen in his piece Yellowstone Celebrity, depicting a large bear among colorful foliage and a tree lined horizon.
“[Color] is why I have always gravitated towards painting,” says Sims. “Sometimes the color is bold and in your face with my work, but sometimes it’s about the subtleties, which can be more of a challenge.”
The bold and the beautiful continues to show up in other show pieces by artists such as Jenness Cortez. She celebrates old loves in her work, such as her fascination with horses, pattern and American Indian lore. However, she has added a twist by combining all components in pieces such as War Horse #1.
“The idea of combining them came to me when I saw an 1833 Karl Bodmer watercolor of a Piegan Blackfeet Indian wearing a Navajo first-phase, chief-style blanket,” Cortez explains. “The blanket designs, especially the classic period ones, have graphic power that matches the energy of a well-trained, spirited horse. I could see the connections so clearly.”
Head to Trailside Galleries website from July 20 to August 1 to view all the beautiful splendor, right from the safety of your own home.
For a direct link to the exhibiting gallery go to www.westernartcollector.com