The Heart of the West

Collector's Focus Western Landscapes

The West is peppered with iconic landforms. In northwestern New Mexico, Cerro Pedernal is visible for miles. The flat-topped mesa is capped by the remnants of a lava flow from millions of years ago. The lava protected the sandstone beneath as the surrounding rocks eroded over time. Known to locals simply as Pedernal, it has inspired artists for generations. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) looked out on it from her home in Abiquiú and painted it often. She once said, “It’s my private mountain. It belongs to me. God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it.” Her ashes were scattered over the top of the mesa.Abend Gallery, Clouds Over Cerro Pedernal, watercolor on paper, 29 x 41", by Evelyne Boren.

McLarry Fine Art, Pedernal from Ghost Ranch, oil on muslin panel, 11 x 14", by Charlie Hunter

The Owings Gallery, Far Across the Rio Grande, 1939, etching, 97/8 x 137/8", by Gene Kloss (1903-1996).

Ed Mell Gallery, Monumental Downpour, oil on linen, 24 x 24", by Ed Mell.

Gene Kloss (1903-1996) and her husband Phillips Kloss (1902-1995) traveled between Berkeley, California, and Taos, New Mexico, for 20 years before settling in Taos in 1945. They lugged her 60-pound etching press back and forth until it found its permanent home in Taos when they settled there in 1945. Her etchings of the pueblo and its ceremonies and her depictions of the landscape appear like paintings with the subtleties of tones she was able to achieve.

In Far Across the Rio Grande, 1939, a gnarled tree rendered in dark detail, stands out against the diminishing landscape with Pedernal barely visible on the far horizon. It is a fine example of what she wanted her prints to be. In an interview with Sylvia Loomis for the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art in 1964, she said, “In my etchings I like them to be viewable even across the room even if they are rather small in size. They should have good design so that they make interesting patterns across the room. They can be looked at close, even with a magnifying glass, if you want to see the line work.”Legacy Gallery, Autumn Color and the Minarets, oil, 22 x 28", by Matt Smith.

Ed Mell Gallery, Tall Storm Study, oil on linen, 30 x 30", by Ed Mell.

Legacy Gallery, Miners Canyon Moonrise, oil, 16 x 20", by Robert Peters.

C.M. Russell Museum, Storm on Lake McDonald, 1906, watercolor on paper, 7 x 13½", by Charles M. Russell (1864-1926). Collection of the C.M. Russell Museum. Gift of Josephine Trigg.

Charlie Hunter grew up on a farm in New Hampshire and now lives in Vermont. He says, “My goal is to paint beautifully that which is not traditionally considered beautiful…Utilizing a variety of moderately unorthodox techniques, manipulating paint with a window washer’s squeegee or impressing the pattern of paper towels into a painted surface to evoke the halftone screens and benday dots of classic photographic reproduction, my work plays upon familiar visual tropes that the viewer notes almost subconsciously.”

The northern New Mexico landscape can sometimes be bleak and monochromatic. Pedernal from Ghost Ranch depicts one of those “not traditionally beautiful” times.

Evelyne Boren’s Clouds Over Cerro Pedernal is alive with vivid color despite its title. Boren, who was born into the bleakness of Germany at the outbreak of World War II, discovered vivid color underwater in the Bahamas when she was a stunt double in two James Bond films. Shortly after, she began painting in watercolor.Legacy Gallery, Late Afternoon Light – Angels Window, oil, 24 x 18", by Kenny McKenna.

Ed Mell Gallery, Contain the Rain Study, oil on linen, 22 x 22", by Ed Mell.

C.M. Russell Museum, Exalted Ruler, 1912, oil on canvas, 54 x 72", by Charles M. Russell (1864-1926). Collection of the C.M. Russell Museum, Gift of Friends of the Exalted Ruler.

C.M. Russell Museum, The Outpost, oil on canvas, 24 x 36", by Olaf C. Seltzer (1877-1957). Collection of the C.M. Russell Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Gordon.

Pedernal rises above the clouds over Abiquiú Lake. “In order to paint freely,” she says, “you must know your subject very well. Then, forget the detail and put down only what is needed. More is not better. I want to keep it simple…It’s the quality that counts, not how much you can cram on to the canvas.”

Throughout this section dedicated to the Western landscape genre, artists, galleries and museums continue to discuss beautiful Western scenery, and provide insights into how to establish or add to a collection.

One artist who is continuously pushing the boundaries of Western landscapes is Phoenix painter Ed Mell, a modernist who uses abstraction to capture the immense beauty of the Southwest. “The paintings of Ed Mell are not real—that is, they are not transcriptions of a particular place, although some titles may indicate a precise location or the name of a specific flower—yet they are believable,” writes Donald J. Hagerty in Beyond the Visible Terrain: The Art of Ed Mell. “They venture beyond strict replication of reality in the realm of imagination. There are no extraneous details, and every form on a canvas is honed down to essential color and shape.”Art Exchange Gallery, Late Autumn Sunset, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40", by Jeff Tabor.

Art Exchange Gallery, Sky Lines, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30", by Jeff Tabor.

Darcie Peet, Lost Clouds and Wildflowers, oil, 30 x 30"

Jackstraw Mountain Gallery, The Headwaters of the Colorado River, pastel, 32 x 23", by Marjorie Cranston.

Artists have been capturing the beauty of the West for over a century, and the C.M. Russell Museum shares some of their prominent pieces. Charles M. Russell was inspired by the land around him, including from his cabin in Glacier National Park. Storm on Lake McDonald is a rarity in his body of work, including neither people nor animals. Painted during his first season at Bull Head Lodge, Russell captures the turbulent atmosphere of an impending storm. See historic landscapes from artists such as Russell and Olaf C. Seltzer as well as contemporary works by R. Tom Gilleon, Charles Fritz and more at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana. If you aren’t able to travel to Montana, explore the museum galleries through virtual tours now available on the museum website.

Museum of the Big Bend is gearing up for their exhibition Fred Darge: Big Bend and Beyond, with images of the West depicted in Going Home and Friendly Encounter, both pictured in this section. “I want to register the ranchman as he lives today, his daily habits his mode of living and doing business, before this part of the country gives way to progress and the civilization of the big cities,” says curator Robert E. McKee II. He also notes that progress has, in many instances, “taken the romance out of the West, paved roads instead of trails and automobiles instead of horses.”Jackstraw Mountain Gallery, Out Under the Winter Sky, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48", by Marjorie Cranston.

Jackstraw Mountain Gallery, Bay Morning Sunrise, pastel, 23 x 32", by Marjorie Cranston.

Ulrich Gleiter, Mountain Landscape, oil on linen, 20 x 27"

Carstens Fine Art Studio & Gallery, Whereabouts of Expression, oil on canvas, 24 x 30", by Cyndy Carstens.

When collecting, McKee states, “Becoming a skilled collector is not an easy task. It is like any other endeavor, knowledge and education are the keys to success. The more you study, the better you become.”

Two paintings by Art Exchange Gallery reflect owner and artist Jeff Tabor’s interest in “giving the viewer a glimpse of the beautiful light, drama and splendor of the sunsets in my home state of New Mexico,” he says. The painting Late Autumn Sunset depicts the drama of the New Mexico sky as the sun passes behind the Jemez Mountains near Santa Fe. “I tell visitors to my gallery that the clear, dry air enables our eyes to be penetrated, without the fuzzy humidity found in many places,” Tabor explains. “The clarity of the light, the variety of landscapes and the interesting history provides a rich environment for us in the ‘Land of Enchantment.’ I can never capture the full impact, but I keep trying.” Carstens Fine Art Studio & Gallery, Secrets of the Soul, oil on canvas, 40 x 30", by Cyndy Carstens.

Ulrich Gleiter, At Sunrise in the Mountains, oil on linen, 25½ x 31½"

Carstens Fine Art Studio & Gallery, Observing Silence, oil on canvas, 37 x 21", by Cyndy Carstens.

The inspiration behind Darcie Peet’s piece Lost Clouds and Wildflowers, was an epic day of adventure. “Planning several hikes this day, we headed out early on a chilly morning to the saddle between Mt. Clements and Mt. Oberlin on Logan Pass, Glacier National Park,” she says. “The night’s storm was breaking, creating all sorts of cloud shapes, threads and swirling movement against the steep, upper slopes of the now snow-covered, Going-to-the-Sun Mountain and the distant range. Hours later on our descent, with warmer sun, the trail wound us through patches of all sorts of wildflowers, crystal-clear brooks and streamlets…Mountain goats lounging in the shadows of the ledges quietly watched as hikers moved by, not the least bit disturbed. We ran into a ranger who told us a story about a grizzly mom and cub stopping all hikers along nearby the very narrow Highline Trail the day before, just a day after we had hiked that very trail. How lucky did we feel!”Ulrich Gleiter, Canyon at Sunset, oil on linen, 17¾ x 24"

Nancee Jean Busse, Mirror for Moran, acrylic, 36 x 24"

Nancee Jean Busse, The Church Off the Burr Trail, 24 x 18"

Artist Marjorie Cranston, and owner of Jackstraw Mountain Gallery, is inspired by the moods and seasons of the mountains. “Hiking daily for miles with my dogs, I find the solace of the mountains; a refuge for discovering my subjects that mean most to me,” she says. “Last year, the fires ravaged my community and took our landscape from glorious to ashes. I found beauty in the 500,000 acres now healing through the subsequent seasons that followed the ravaged forests. It is a pleasure to take you on that journey through my art.” It inspires Cranston to see that creation does indeed heal, and through that healing, she found that she as well healed. The winter scenes pictured in this section, were the places Cranston found refuge, “away from life as we experienced here in our area of Colorado, she says. “By painting, I experienced hope and hope endures.”

Legacy Gallery, out of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, notes that the beauty of the West is vast and endless, which is why so many artists are inspired by the Western landscape. “The melting colors at sunset, shadows of the mountains and great open sky are a dreamscape for any artist,” says gallery representatives. “The diverse terrain makes it easy for anyone to find a landscape painting that speaks to them.” For collecting, they suggest that when purchasing a landscape painting, ensure it is a view that you will be in wonder of every time you look at it.Tehachapi Arts Commission, A Morning to Worship, 20 x 16", by Joe Mancuso.

Tehachapi Arts Commission, Under the Spring Sky, oil, 14 x 18", by Linda Brown.

The impression of a fleeting moment is what artist Ulrich Gleiter tries to capture in his landscapes. “More than anything, I love working outside,” he says. “At sunset or during sunrise, rapidly changing cloud formations over a wide mountain valley, the play of shadow and light in the winter snow—it’s these moments that make me want to paint.” Gleiter’s canvases may have the look of being executed spontaneously, quickly and with a broad brush. “It is true,” he says, “I want to keep the impression of a fleeting moment, and I believe the atmosphere in a painting should resemble the manner of how it is painted. Although my style may look very impasto and alla prima, I am often working for numerous sittings on the same canvas, even when it is just a miniature. There is something special in painting over oils that have already dried. Returning to the scene on a later day is a gift, and I`m seeing the painting differently, richer and with new ideas.”

Many believe that much of the truth and charm of the American West can be found in its landscapes. One of those believers is artist Nancee Jean Busse. “The diversity of its natural beauty is also one of its most defining elements. As a painter, my conversation is with its remaining places of unspoiled beauty,” she says. Slickrock canyons, riparian habitats, moonlit rockscapes, water winding its way through the desert and so many other Western elements have bowled Busse over with their singular beauty. “One of my deepest desires is to paint each landscape in a way that not only honors its grandeur, but also in a way that resonates with truth to you, the collector.”

When collecting, Busse says, “What a fun and beautiful thing to do! My best advice to a collector interested in owning a new landscape painting is to find one that delights you; one that says something you want to see and experience over and over again. A much-loved painting in one’s home is like a friend, and the process of collecting art is a rich and fulfilling one.”Museum of the Big Bend, Going Home, oil on canvas, 24 x 32", by Fred Darge (1900-1978).

Tehachapi Arts Commission, Vintage Sunrise – Cummings Valley, oil, 18 x 24", by Karen Winters.

Museum of the Big Bend, Friendly Encounter, oil on canvas, 20 x 24", by Fred Darge (1900-1978).

Tehachapi, California, is quickly becoming a mecca for plein art artists with the help of the Tehachapi Arts Commission. With the success of the inaugural Art 2021 Paint Out and Juried Art Show, attended by artists and collectors alike, the upcoming July 2022 show is expected to be just as exciting. Artist Linda Brown will be returning to the 2022 show. An established artist, Brown changed her focus in 2007 to painting Western landscapes full time. Her style of painterly realism captures the special feeling of a place, celebrating all the colors, textures and moods of nature. Pastelist Joe Mancuso is influenced by the changing of the seasons and weather. Mancuso is known for the quality of light in his work. He has received many awards from exhibitions including Best of Show. Working primarily in oil and inspired by early California impressionists, Karen Winters is an avid outdoor painter, creating field studies for larger works in studio. Her work has been displayed in museums and numerous public collections throughout California.

Cyndy Carstens, with Carstens Fine Art Studio & Gallery, believes that artists and the art they make is personal and public at the same time. “While nature inspires the eye, it is the heart—the soul—that inspires art,” she says “Emotional anguish taught me life’s toughest lessons and gave me the gifts of focus and empathy. The heartache spurred my eyes upward and I have, to date, refused to change my gaze.” The paintings Carstens makes concentrate on the light/skies—everchanging, moody, beaming and incredible. “I believe collectors are motivated to purchase works of art by a personal connection or emotion,” the artist notes. “They acquire art that moves and captivates them with beauty in the landscape, people and history of the West.” —