Image of the Day: November 10, 2011

Texas born sculpture, Robert Temple Summers II, was approached by the Dallas Trees and Park Foundation in 1992 to sculpt a scene depicting the story of Shawnee Trail, a trail used prior to the old Chisolm Trail. Cattle were gathered from east and west Texas, and trailed through Austin Waco, Dallas and ultimately ended in Kansas. The commission included three cowboys on horseback who are herding seventy longhorn steers. The sculptures are 130% of life-size and cover four acres in downtown Dallas.  It is the largest bronze sculpture in the world and from time to time another steer is added to the heard.

Credit: Panoramio & brooklynboy1314

Credit: sports.espn

Painting of the Day, November 9, 2011

By Donna Poulton

"I paint the Indian as he is. In the garden digging--in the field working--riding amongst the sage--meeting his woman in the desert--angling for trout--in meditation" (Walter Ufer, American Art Review, June, 1999).

Credit: Coeur D’Alene Auction

Walter Ufer (1876–1936), In the Garden, c.1920, oil on canvas, 30.50 x 30.50 in.

Unlike his fellow artists working in Taos in the 1920s, Walter Ufer rejected the image of Pueblo people as idealized, opting to instead to show the native culture at work with such titles as: The Washer Women, A Pueblo Well Scene and In the Garden.

Painting of the Day, November 8, 2011

“I choose subjects that are timeless, the things I see today—landscape, wildlife, rocks. I do outdoor sketches, but I am a studio painter. If I had lived in the East, my paintings would be different. I live in the West, so my painting reflect the West—but I hate to be categorized. People in the West like realistic art because they think of Westerners as realistic people. They are straightforward, honest, and unpretentious, so the art has to reflect these things.” -– Tucker Smith

Credit: Coeur D’Alene Art Auction

Tucker Smith, Ahead of the Storm, c. 2008, oil on canvas, 24 x 32 in. Private Collection

Painting of the Day, November 7, 2011

By Donna Poulton

Today’s painting of the day, by E. Martin Hennings, is being offered at the Santa Fe Art Auction on November 12^th.  The starting bid is $440,132., and it is estimated to sell at between $500,000. and $700,000.  We’ll report back on the hammer price.

Credit: Santa Fe Art Auction

E. Martin Hennings (1886-1956), Untitled (Taos Pueblo), n.d., oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in. Private Collection

Painting of the Day, November 6, 2011

By Donna Poulton

The night is dark.  The moon will rise late, and when it does, I will be up.  I have a canvas ready and a fresh candle in my lantern.  My tent is insect-proof.  My bed is a bag filled with pine fronds and covered with several layers of blankets.  My pillow is my coat and overalls rolled up.  I sleep deliciously.  Through some unconscious working of the mind, I wake up because the moon is shining through the sides of my tent…I gather up my canvas and paint box and make my way to the spot selected for the painting of moonlight.  On a stick stuck in a crack of the overhanging ledge, I hang the lantern and start in furiously [to paint]…  -- William R. Leigh

Credit: Painters of Utah’s Canyons and Deserts

William R. Leigh (1866-1955), Rainbow Bridge by Moonlight, c.1922, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in., Private Collection