Downtown Salt Lake City framed by the Wasatch Mountains. Photo courtesy Douglas Pulsipher.

The story of Utah is essentially the story of the West, with a full cast of supporting characters—Indigenous tribes, Spanish conquistadors, mountain men and trappers, goldminers passing through to the California territory, religious pioneers seeking a better life, cowboys, gunfighters, outlaws and a mish-mash of other adventurers. Everyone from Coronado and Jim Bridger to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They came for the richness in the land and the beauty of the landscape.

Today, Utah is in the very heart of the West, nestled between Colorado and the Rockies, Wyoming and the Tetons, and Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Though it has famous neighbors, Utah has some of the most famous landmarks in the country, from Monument Valley and Grand Staircase-Escalante to five exceptional national parks—Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches—each one an iconic landmark to the spirit and beauty of the American West. 

It’s that beauty that inspired countless artists, from greats such as Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt to contemporary painters such as Brett Allen Johnson, G. Russell Case, Luke Frazier and many others who call the Beehive State home. Destinations that bring in artists and art enthusiasts include the Kimball Art Center in Park City; the BYU Museum of Art and the Springville Museum of Art, both in Provo; the Maynard Dixon Living History Museum in Mt. Carmel; the Woodbury Art Museum in Orem; and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City. In St. George, at Dixie State University’s Sears Art Museum, the museum is hosting the 34th annual Robert N. and Peggy Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show & Sale starting February 12, 2021, and running through April 3.

Other events include Gallery Strolls on the last Friday of each month in the mountain destination of Park City, or the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll held on the first Friday of every month (third Friday in December) in Salt Lake City. Next summer, on June 17 through 19, Summerfest Arts Faire will make a triumphant return with dozens of events, including art vendors, contests and a paint-out. Another summer event to look forward to is the Utah Arts Festival held in June in Salt Lake City.

Elsewhere in the state, and in this special section, you will find the wonderful artwork of artists such as Artell Harris, Sandy L. Wisecup and Kathryn Stats, who all paint in and around Utah as they explore the splendor of the West and its limitless possibilities.

+++

Dixie State University Sears Art Museum
Eccles Fine Art Center
225 S. University Avenue, St. George, UT 84770
www.searsart.com 

The Sears Art Museum is located 50 minutes from Zion National Park. The beauty of this area is awe inspiring. The Sears Art Museum reflects this in its wonderful space and exciting exhibits. People are attracted and appreciate their visits to the Sears to discover meaningful connections with artistic expressions and to enjoy opportunities for conversation, contemplation and a cooperative experience.The west entrance at the Eccles Fine Arts Center at the Dixie State University Sears Art Museum

This year the museum celebrates the 34th annual Robert N. and Peggy Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale, opening every President’s Day weekend. The gala and preview will be held February 12 and the exhibition opens February 13 to patrons and the public through April 3, 2021. Tickets for the preview and sale can be purchased by calling (435) 652-7903.Dixie State University Sears Art Museum, Double Arch, oil, by Araceli Selytin.

Dixie State University Sears Art Museum, Farm in Winter, watercolor, by Ian Ramsey.

The show boasts a variety of art including landscape, portrait, Western, sculpture and contemporary pieces. Patrons vie to collect art by Jeremy Winborg, Elizabeth Robbins, Shanna Kunz, Mike Malm, Julie Rogers, Spike Ress, Roland Lee, Lynn Griffin, George Handrahan, Alexander Selytin, Royden Card, Doug Adams and many of the other 120 artists. The Sears depends on this annual show and sale to fund its continued growth and impressive history of success. 

“Each day when I walk through the Sears, I feel joy. Celebrating artists and art with expression, diversity, collaboration, energizes me. It is my honor to endeavor to uplift others through art through these difficult times.”

— Kathy Cieslewicz, DSU director and curator, Sears Art Museum

+++

Artell Harris
(801) 636-5126, imrdfur@hotmail.com
www.artellharrisfineart.blogspot.com
www.artellharrisfineart.com 

Exploring with his buddies in his youth, Boy Scouts, ski patrol, hunting, fishing, hiking—Artell Harris has spent much of his life outdoors. When he started getting into art, it was a natural fit for him, especially as he pointed his easel at the great outdoors. Artell Harris, Big Lost River II, oil, 18 x 36"

Today the painter is based in Mapleton, Utah, where he paints some of his favorite scenery, from rugged forest scenes to majestic landscapes with rivers and mountain ranges. Many of the works are cozy little destinations hidden in nature’s abundance. “The beauties of nature have always been my inspiration and challenge to capture a moment in time,” he says. 

He continues: “I love starting a new painting, taking a two-dimensional canvas and turning it into a three-dimensional painting.Artell Harris, Uinta Mountains III, oil, 18 x 24"

I am intrigued by the challenge of a panoramic scene and the changes of color causing the painting to recede. Just as intriguing, are scenes that I call ‘cubby holes of nature,’ that happen within 100 feet of you. It is exciting to capture the many different colors, textures, and movements of the scene.”

+++

Kathryn Stats
www.kathrynstats.com
kathrynstts@gmail.com 

Kathryn Stats, High Mountain Valley, oil on linen panel, 12 x 16"

While scouting for subject matter, it feels like a treasure hunt for painter Kathryn Stats. “Wondering what would be around the next corner, I was rewarded with this lovely view of meadow and mountains, with a pleasant display of trees,” she says of her work High Mountain Valley. “Where an accurate copy of the scene could not give the painting a feel of actually being present, I allowed the mountains to become more a part of the sky rather than looking pasted on in front of it. Then, I proceeded to give much more light to the ground plane than it would otherwise have called for, had I been bound to mere accuracy. Now the painting gives the impression of my feelings when I actually first happened onto this scene.”

+++

Sandy L. Wisecup
(435) 650-8431
www.sandywisecup.com 

Award-winning Utah artist Sandy L. Wisecup identifies primarily as a watercolor artist rather than as an artist who paints a specific subject matter or a certain art style. Although subject matter and style are also important in all her creations, the medium is her artist voice. 

“Watercolor has distinct characteristics which summon an artist to conquer the uniquely diverse challenges of its very nature, while allowing and encouraging the distinctly beautiful visual qualities,” she says. Sandy L. Wisecup, Chronicled, watercolor on cold-pressed paper, 24 x 20"

Choices of subject matter, which vary and offer their own unique challenges and satisfactions, are chosen by the artist according to artistic attributes, yet are always directly influenced by her life as a watercolorist, horsewoman, antique collector, Native American history enthusiast, student of portrait and form, and as an ever-grateful resident amidst the majestic beauty and wide-open spaces that define remote rural Utah. —

Powered by Froala Editor