It’s one of the most attended, most talked about and most anticipated Western art events of the year. The 29th Annual Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale is back in full force this year with a 100 percent in-person format, where attendees can experience the thrill and energy of seeing fresh artwork by 60 contemporary realists from North America and Europe who capture the Western way of life. The exhibition takes place during the National Western Stock Show, with the Coors show officially opening Tuesday, January 4, with the Red Carpet Gala Reception. One of largest fundraisers for the National Western Scholarship Trust, the philanthropic pillar of Colorado’s National Western Stock Show, the event still achieved a phenomenal $500,000 last year even with its online format. Organizers are hopeful to exceed that number many times over this year.

Ulrich Gleiter, At Nightfall December, oil on linen, 23½ x  29½”

Ulrich Gleiter, Bushes and Cacti, oil on panel, 16 x 12”

This is the 10th consecutive year impasto artist Ulrich Gleiter will be participating in the Coors show. Several of the works he brings to the show this year are snow scenes painted in plein air on a winter evening. “Working outside, I’m forced to paint at a brisk pace as the daylight is fading quickly and the oil colors get stiffer every minute. To a certain extent, there is a moment of surprise when I see my painting at home and in good light,” the artist says. “I keep returning to the site on a later day until I feel satisfied with the final result. This has become part of my painting routine. Working in the freezing cold and in the near dark, it is impossible to fully control the process. At the same time, I see this brings enrichment, too.” In addition to his winter scenes, Gleiter brings several smaller works in warm tones, including Bushes and Cacti and Evening Light.

Barbara Van Cleve, A Good Day’s Work, archival pigment print, 20 x 30”

Luke Anderson, Promethean Sky, oil on canvas, 24 x 24”

Rick Young, Morning Above the Gorge, oil on canvas, 36 x 36”

Growing up on a ranch and accustomed to its way of life, photographer Barbara Van Cleve captures the true grit of the West. “Black and white is such an intellectual medium,” she says, “with lines that allow the eye to travel beyond the frame and value gradations that engage the imagination and stimulate the memory.”

Michael Blessing, Anticipated Resolution, oil on canvas, 36 x 36”

Sophy Brown, Colorado Heat, acrylic on board, 48 x 93½”

Another one of the many elite Western artists included in the show is David Griffin, the 2022 featured artist for the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale. “I’m so grateful to be included again, for my 13th year...Because of the culture and the creative environment Rose Fredrick, the Coors curator, has fostered and encouraged, I’m excited to participate and bring 10 new paintings to this year’s show,” says Griffin. The new paintings, he adds, are fleeting moments that he hopes foster a deeper sense of exploration of clear Western skies and magnificent landscapes. “These paintings speak to my deep appreciation and love of the beauty in the simple, even worn or weathered landscape, juxtaposed against the fluid beauty of the sky, whether a nocturne storm such as Clearing the air...or the fleeting beauty of a sky full of clouds in Acquainted with the sound of clouds,” he says. 

Sean Michael Chavez, Paisano, oil on canvas, 16 x 12”

Dan Young, Merge of Seasons, oil on mounted linen, 30 x 40”

Coors Western Art Show curator Rose Fredrick is also hosting Inside the Artist Studio Zoom calls featuring three to four artists each in their studios, discussing their processes and new work. Those interested in tuning in can register, free of charge, as well as listen to previously recorded calls by visiting www.coorswesternart.com.

The 29th Annual Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale is open to the public through January 23. 

29th Annual Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale
January 4, 8-23, 2022
Red Carpet Gala Reception, Jan. 4, 5:30-9 p.m.
Art exhibit and sale, Jan. 8-23
National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt Street, Denver, CO 80216
(303) 291-2567, www.coorswesternart.com

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