Image of Day, May 5, 2012

By Donna Poulton

While Jeff Pugh’s interest in agrarian scenes echoes that of his famous mentor, Gary Ernest Smith, he has created his own unique feel and style. While Smith’s Post-Regionalist work evokes nostalgia for a lifestyle that is rapidly fading from rural America, Pugh’s work is pre-reflective. His minimal forms and reductive colors place one in the immediacy of the scene. When I see his depiction of cows on a field, I feel like yelling “Moo.”

Credit: Jeff Pugh Credit: Jeff Pugh Credit: Jeff PughCredit: Jeff PughCredit: Jeff PughSee Echo Canyon by Gary Ernest Smith:

Image of the Day, October 17, 2011

Image of the Day, February 25, 2012

By Donna Poulton

"I inhale the natural world, and love it most when it's moody, stormy, wet, snowy, and dusky-colored." - Michael Coleman

In a different century it could be imagined that Michael Coleman would have traveled with Jedediah Smith, Peter Skene Ogden, Jim Bridger or any number of American Indian tribes exploring the American West.  The scientific explorations of artists such as James Audubon, Karl Bodmer and William Henry Holmes would have interested him, but not as much as living in the moment, existing in nature and surviving by the skill, wit and resourcefulness of the early mountain men. Coleman’s paintings are an amalgam of his rich personal experience in the wilderness and his impression of life in the 19^th century. From his practical knowledge of the outdoors he has developed a keen sense of observation of animals: an auburn fox resting on lichen covered rocks, bears snooping in camps and mountain goats lolling on precipitous cliff edges so high that they overlook birds circling below. These are the subjects of Coleman’s intensely rich and detailed paintings.

In 2009, a book of Coleman’s work titled “On Wings of Eagels” was released.  It was written by the foremost author on western art today - Peter Hassrick - and is a beautiful collection for any collector of images of the West.

Michael Coleman, In the Cliffs, Rocky Mountain Goats, 1995, oil on board, 34 x 60 in., private collection. Credit: Colemanart.comMichael Coleman, Morning Sun, Red Fox, oil, 12 x 16 in. Credit: Colemanart.com  Interns in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center's Conservation Residency program clean "Big Hal," a sculpture currently on loan to Yellowstone Regional Airport to welcome visitors to Cody.

Michael Coleman, Big Hal, modeled 2002, cast 2003, bronze, 84 inches. Gift of Jim and Kathy Taggart. Credit: Buffalo Bill Historical CenterCredit: Colemanart.com

Image of the Day, February 16, 2012

“Our new and likeable neighbors were mostly farmers who lived short distances away. One gentleman, when he heard I was an artist, became concerned about my finances, and offered to let me buck bales during haying season. I was happy I didn't have to do that. The heaviest thing I enjoy lifting is a brush.”

Valoy Eaton, Indian Canyon Sunshine, 1988, oil on canvas, 35 x 60 in., Private Collector. Credit: Valoyeaton.com

Painting of the Day, December 25, 2011

Brian Kershisnik, Nativity ©, 2006, oil on canvas, 88 x 204 in. Credit: Brian Kershisnik

Detail. Brian Kershisnik, Nativity ©, 2006, oil on canvas, 88 x 204 in. Credit: Brian Kershisnik

Detail 2. Brian Kershisnik, Nativity ©, 2006, oil on canvas, 88 x 204 in. Credit: Brian Kershisnik

Painting of the Day, December 21, 2011

By Donna Poulton

Brad Aldridge, Twilight Valley, oil, 60 x 96 in. Credit: Courtesy of the Artist

The charm in the painting Twilight Valley comes not only from the bird’s-eye-view overlooking lush central Utah farmland, but also in the small contrasts along the creek bed and the road. Brad Aldridge’s ambitious large-scale composition successfully incorporates a deep focus of the wide valley floor with graduated values drawing the eye easily along the long narrow road to the distant hills. Twilight Valley is hanging in the permanent collection of the Utah State Capitol.