JD Challenger & Nicholas Coleman: Paired up

When Nicholas Coleman first started showing his work at Manitou Galleries, he was paired with painter JD Challenger. Four years later, the two artists are returning to once again show their unique visions of the West.

When Nicholas Coleman first started showing his work at Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he was paired with painter JD Challenger. Four years later, the two artists are returning to once again show their unique visions of the West together in one show.

Coleman, who is based in Utah, will be showing one of his new landscapes scenes, To the Call - On the South Fork, which is painted in a way that calls back to many of the great Hudson River School artists such as Albert Bierstadt.

Nicholas Coleman, To the Call - On the South Fork, oil on linen, 30 x 50”

“When my dad [painter Michael Coleman] was in college, there was a Frederic Church painting at BYU in one of the stairwells. He would take it off the wall and carry it outside so he could study the painting in the light. Now it’s in a better place in the collection—and you definitely can’t take it off the wall anymore, that’s for sure—but he was pulled in by those artists, Bierstadt and [Thomas] Moran. They painted these romantic skies and fantastic sunsets, and seeing those works could really open your eyes and knock your socks off,” Coleman says. “So when people see their work in my own, it’s a huge compliment to me.”

JD Challenger, Many Hands, oil on canvas, 24 x 20”

Coleman’s paintings reward viewers with attentive viewing, and To the Call - On the South Fork is certainly one that delivers little details in the paint, from the strong silhouette in the open teepee to the tiny birds floating through the pink and orange sky. “Birds are almost always in my paintings because birds are everywhere. And they add dimension to almost any work,” he says. “Those little details, sometimes they help create that spatial distance you need in a painting.”

JD Challenger, Medicine Lodge Dance, oil on panel, 28 x 30”

Challenger will also be showing his newest works, which are colorful and contemporary portraits of Native American figures in full ceremonial regalia. All of his paintings are based on real people. It’s that authenticity that drives his work. “Nothing is made up, and everyone is real. Working with live models helps bring some interesting qualities out in the work,” he says. “When I’m working with the model, I’m just the guy with the paintbrush. I ask them what they want to see, what stories they want to tell.”

Nicholas Coleman, Sunlight Basin Camp, oil on linen, 12 x 16”

For his newest works, Challenger has gone even a step further by hand-carving all of his frames. “By carving them myself they really become part of the piece itself, part of the art,” he says. “I want the frames to be an extension of the story.”

For information about the show, as well as details about the opening reception, visit www.manitougalleries.com.

Upcoming Show
Up to 30 works
August 13-16, 2020
Manitou Galleries
123 W. Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501, (505) 986-0440
www.manitougalleries.com