Wild Country

Collector's Focus Into the Wilderness

By John O’Hern

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and environmentalist Wallace Stegner wrote in his book The Sound of Mountain Water, “Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed...We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in.” Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery, Gentle Breeze and Lizard Tracks, oil on panel, 24 x 38", by Josh Elliott.

Mountain Trails Gallery, One Apt Pupil, oil, 24 x 20", by Brigitte Woosley.

Ideally, wilderness can only be looked into from its edge, an area without modern human intervention, where its flora can grow and its fauna can roam.

Two bear cubs follow their mother in Bruce Cheever’s Follow the Leader. They are almost incidental in the vast landscape, traversing the line between light and shadow. The rocky rim of the canyon is strewn with fallen trees that will eventually return to the earth. The scene is in its natural state, not prettied up for photo-hungry tourists. Cheever writes, “As primarily a landscape painter, I strive to evoke emotion in the spirit of those who view my work and to give them a sense of place in the landscape. My hope is that I can touch the chords of nostalgia and beauty that lie within each of us, and further hope to inspire others to pay attention to the simple beauties of life.”

Brigitte Woosley depicts another mother and her cubs in a teaching moment in her painting One Apt Pupil. One cub is attentive to its mother’s looking for salmon and the other is distracted by something more interesting—which will become less interesting when it gets hungry. The cubs need to learn how to navigate the dangerous rushing water to get their food. Ross Buckland, Sovereign of the Valley, oil on board, 30 x 20". Available at Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ.

Trailside Galleries, Follow the Leader, oil on board, 16 x 24", by Bruce Cheever.

Ross Buckland, The Contender, oil on board, 18 x 36"

Woosley lives in the Texas Hill Country and has turned to fine art after a career as a courtroom artist. Concerned by the encroachment of development into the landscape, she says, “I’ve made a commitment to paint those things I find meaningful and to share my vision of both tangible and spiritual themes. I love painting animals, the Western landscape, Native Americans and Western people in general.”

Accustomed to seeing large animals in mountain and forest habitats, we often assume the desert is home only to sage and chamisa. Lizards move fast in their desert environment to avoid the heat and the threat of birds of prey and snakes. The record of their movement is recorded in Josh Elliott’s Gentle Breeze and Lizard Tracks.Pamela Winters, Mine, bronze, 9 x 6 x 5"

New West Fine Art, Fit for a Queen, oil and mixed oil media on linen, 76 x 74", by Connor Liljestrom.

Bill Nebeker, Over the Rim, bronze, ed. of 30, 19 x 16 x 12"

“I am for interesting more than pretty,” he says. The hot, soft, shifting sand and shrubs in the foreground contrast with the solidity of the mountains in the distance. A master of light on snow, Elliott brings his keen observation to the desert. But, he admits, “I’m not a total slave to what’s in front of me.” His observations and manipulations create a convincing sense of inhospitable vastness that is, nevertheless, home to some living creature.

The unbridled sense of freedom and deep-rooted connection to nature draws us all toward the great outdoors. Within the pages of this new collector’s focus, art lovers and nature enthusiasts alike can explore a variety of wildlife art and venture into the wilderness.Rox Corbett, Made in America, charcoal on archival cotton paper, 20 x 13½"

Bill Nebeker, Home is the Hunter, Home from the Hills, bronze, ed. of 30, 19 x 22 x 8"

Gabrielle Matlock, Safe Haven, oil on board, 10 x 14"

While known fondly for his aviation art, Canadian artist Ross Buckland also creates beautiful depictions of evergreen landscapes and the wild animals that inhabit them. “As many of us are hunkered down for the winter and are continuing to adjust to changing circumstances, we look for and continue to cherish the simpler things in life. One of those being the vast and great wilderness that still exists in so many areas and all that is within,” he says, reflecting on his recent works of moose and elk dwelling in mountain and forest scenes. “It’s good to remind ourselves that as things slowly return to a less distressing level, our times will certainly get better, and that there remains a world of wonders outside waiting for us to return to and rediscover. The greater focus of my painting efforts has always been to depict two of my lifelong passions...aviation and the landscape. Let’s add to that and celebrate some of the life below the wing.”New West Fine Art, The Watchers II, oil and mixed oil media on linen, 76 x 94", by Connor Liljestrom.

New West Fine Art, The Watchers I, oil and mixed oil media on linen, 76 x 94", by Connor Liljestrom.

Shawn Gould, Mirror Mirror, acrylic on hardboard, 24 x 36"

Gabrielle Matlock’s Safe Haven gives us a sense of respite after a tumultuous year. Two kits nestle close together in the safety of their tiny den. “My passion for nature and wildlife is the cornerstone of all my artistic endeavors. A work of art that impacts the viewer by the essence and portrayal of the subject will bring lasting joy,” says Matlock.

Arizona-based sculptor Bill Nebeker, a member of Cowboy Artists of America, has always enjoyed being in the forest, grasslands and outdoors with family and friends. As he sits for hours camouflaged in the underbrush, watching silently through binoculars and photographing the wildlife, Nebeker has been inspired to create sculptures of antelope, bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk. He has often spotted bull elk quietly grazing through a conifer-lined mountain meadow or in the lower cedar canyon country. “Since childhood my dad took me camping, fishing and hunting in the wilderness. Silently watching the wildlife has always given me inspiration for many of my sculptures. I’ve passed this passion for the outdoors down to my children and grandchildren,” he says. In his bronze Over the Rim, we encounter two startled bull elk bailing over the ledge of a rim rock outcropping, for a quick escape into the thick forest.Rox Corbett, Little Buddha Dog Dreams of Big Bad Badger, charcoal on archival cotton paper, 9½ x 8"

Pamela Winters, Wings of the Mourning, bronze, 22 x 9 x 7"

Bill Nebeker, Icon of the North, bronze, ed. of 20, 17 x 20 x 10"

Located in Jackson, Wyoming, a state abundant with the beauty of the wild, New West Fine Art showcases the work of local artist Connor Liljestrom. The Jackson-based painter and mixed media artist captures a variety of themes within his work, referencing mythologies, Hollywood and pop culture, natural history, colonialism and the canon of Western-centric art history. Liljestrom layers these references to create a platform for the viewer to enter conversation centered around these subjects or be introduced to them for the first time.Rox Corbett, Mother’s Day, charcoal on archival cotton paper, 24 x 30”

Shawn Gould, Wrapped in Light and Lace, acrylic on hardboard, 24 x 30"

Born at the south end of the Adirondack Mountains and now living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pamela Winters has always had a passion for life—both animals and people. “I pour my love of God’s creations—anatomical design, hair and feather patterns—into each one of my bronze sculptures to tell a story and capture a moment in time,” Winters says. Her ability to render detail and emotion into her work has drawn collectors nationwide. Being able to translate stories and beauty of the created world into inspiring and lasting works is her joy. “Your bronze purchase is not only an investment, but a legacy,” says Winters on purchasing new work. “The lasting beauty of bronze sculpture allows you to bring the natural world into your home in a tangible way.”

Western and wildlife artist Rox Corbett, who lives on a ranch on the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River near Cody, Wyoming, captures the essence of wildlife in a black-and-white style. “I make charcoal drawings of animals, some domestic and some wild,” says Corbett. “I want the viewer to appreciate texture, contrast of light and dark, composition and maybe also catch a glimpse of the spirit of each animal I portray.” —