Every November, Settlers West Galleries hosts a large one-night-only group show. It is usually well attended and festive, and that’s just in normal years. This year the gallery turns 50 years old which calls for a celebration. A big one.
Kim Wiggins, Thunderstruck, oil, 36 x 48”
The art gallery, located in Tucson, Arizona, is celebrating half a century as an art destination on November 20 with its annual Great American West show. A who’s who of Western artists will be on hand with new work to celebrate with owner Stuart Johnson, who started the gallery with barely more than 1,000 square feet of exhibition space back in 1971.
Named after a W.H.D. Koerner painting, Settlers West has held major shows every year since the late 1970s, and each one gets better, Johnson says. “I’ve been so fortunate to be in this business. I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do all my life. So few people are able to do that,” he says. “And the people I’ve met are always so interesting. The actor Slim Pickens would come into the gallery when he was in Tucson, and he would tell stories about movies and other actors. Then, of course, all the artists each have their own unique stories. It’s been a really enjoyable journey.”
Ross Buckland, Cooler Climbs, oil, 30 x 24”
Darcie Peet, Humbling. Approaching Denali, oil, 20 x 30”
One of the things that always thrills the gallery owner is the format of the annual Great American West shows, which uses a fixed-price, by-draw sale for collectors. And since there’s a box draw, it forces collectors to be in the room, which turns every show into a major event that can’t be missed. “There are some things that never get old. One of them is the thrill of opening up a new painting that has just come into the gallery. And the other is the opening of the boxes during the show,” Johnson says. “That really gets my juices flowing. At thispoint I couldn’t even imagine doing a show any other way.”
Artists in this year’s show include William Acheff, Bruce Cheever, Brent Cotton, C. Michael Dudash, Phil Epp, Joni Falk, Charles Fritz, Martin Grelle, Robert Griffing, George Hallmark, Oreland Joe, Greg Kelsey, Don Oelze, Scott Tallman Powers, Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Dan Smith, Tim Solliday, Andy Thomas, Dustin Van Wechel, Jeremy Winborg and many others. Two long-time gallery supporters with new works in the show are Howard Terpning, whose been with Johnson for more than 45 years, and Harley Brown, who was one of the gallery’s first artists.
R.S. Riddick, Autumn Serenade, oil, 54 x 36”
Phil Epp, The Sign, acrylic, 30 x 40”
John Fawcett will be in the show presenting his work A Curious Thing, a watercolor showing a puzzling interaction between Western settlers and their Native American neighbors. “The 2,200-mile trek from the Midwest to Oregon and California was used by nearly 400,000 settlers, miners, farmers and families in the 20 years from 1840 to 1860,” the artist says. “Among the many hardships they encountered was the breakdown of wagons and coaches. Here, the Cheyenne braves came upon a group of settlers soaking the wheels, preventing them from shrinking and dislodging the iron rims…a curious thing!”
John Fawcett, A Curious Thing, watercolor, 24 x 30”
New Mexico painter Kim Wiggins will be showing one of his sprawling action scenes that captures the intensity and beauty of the West. “My latest painting, Thunderstruck…is historical yet symbolic,” Wiggins says. “It focuses on the Burnett cattle empire and the historic Four Sixes Ranch headquartered in Guthrie, Texas. The ranch was founded in 1870 by Captain Samuel ‘Burk’ Burnett. In the late 1860s, after the Civil War, Burnett worked as a cowboy on the famous Chisholm Trail from Southern Texas to Abilene, Kansas. The next year he headed up his own herd facing many difficulties, and by 1870, Burnett was determined to focus on ranching. Legend infers that the captain won the Four Sixes Ranch in a high-stakes poker game holding an unmatched hand of four sixes. Fact traces the Four Sixes name back to Frank Crowley of Denton, Texas, from whom Burnett purchased his first 100 head of cattle wearing the famed 6666 brand in 1870.”
C. Michael Dudash, Magnificent, oil, 40 x 34”
Dan Smith, Winter Canopy, acrylic, 20 x 30”
Wiggins continues: “In my painting, Captain Burk Burnett is seen whipping and spurring his mount to the front of a cattle stampede during a lightning storm. The painting symbolizes passion, vision and determination in the midst of overwhelming odds. It is most certainly symbolic of the great American West and the fighting spirit demonstrated by many in overcoming the raging storms of life.”
Painter Ross Buckland is a regular at Settlers West, where he frequently shows his adventure paintings, many of them with airplanes buzzing through snowy scenery and mountain lakes. In his newest work, Cooler Climbs, he focuses on a wildlife subject. “I am very excited and sincerely honored to have Cooler Climbs featured in Settlers West’s Great American West show,” he says. “Inspired by my love of the Canadian Rockies and the wildlife so abundant there, this recent painting depicts a bull elk (or wapiti) ushering his harem and one calf up into higher meadows to escape the late-summer heat. The relocation may not last long. Across the lake, snow is creeping down the slopes and a hint of autumn is touching the trees.”
Alfredo Rodriguez, Preparing the Buffalo Ceremony, oil, 24 x 36”
R.S. Riddick is another regular at Johnson’s shows and this year he will be presenting Autumn Serenade, a gorgeously colored scene with two Native American figures. “The warm russet and gold leaves of autumn seem to sway gently to his whispering wind song,” Riddick says. “His enchanting courtship melody embraces her thoughts. This Lakota brave shares his autumn serenade, hoping to capture her heart.”
Bradley Schmehl, Big Ninety-Three at East Ely, oil, 24 x 36”
Arizona-based painter Darcie Peet focuses on the landscape with her marvelous painting Humbling. Approaching Denali. “For years I have wanted to explore Alaska. A landscape of incredible variety, vastness and boldness that is so commanding and thus inspirational for me. Backcountry that is, without a doubt, humbling and deserving of great respect. I have always been fascinated by climbing stories of Everest, Annapurna and peaks in the Alps,” Peet says. “Staying at a lodge at the end of the road in Denali National Park, one night at dinner, I was roped into a small plane ride around the peak of Denali. I’m already a ‘white-knuckle’ flyer anyway, so a small plane ride was the last thing I was going to say yes to. Surrounded by others who had just made the flight, I finally caved. An experience I will never forget being so up close and personal to those snow-laden, steep ridges and crevices one could almost reach out and touch. Climbers were on the mountain below making the story of this flight even more intriguing, imagining what they were experiencing. Though lots of stunning photos came from the flight, this setting is one that stood out, but for years I felt it might be more appropriate in a climbing magazine. Now finally, 12 years after that flight, just for Settlers West’s 50th anniversary show, I thought I would tackle this incredible experience as a painting. It will be forever imprinted on my mind, and I was so glad to be safely back on the ground.”
For Johnson, he’s just grateful he has spent a full life with so many fascinating people. “The artists, the clients, the collectors,” he adds, “they all make it worth it.” —
The Great American West
November 20, 2021
Settlers West Galleries, 6420 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85718
(520) 299-2607, www.settlerswest.com
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