Beginning April 1, Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, will acknowledge the new perspective of Western culture in art, while honoring what came before. The show, titled Young Guns, highlights how the “history of Western art is constantly evolving as young artists migrate onto the scene,” the gallery notes. The show provides a unique opportunity for viewers to see artists fresh to the Western art world, along with artists that are more seasoned, yet remain contemporary in nature. Artists featured include Curtis Wade, Campbell Dosch, Aaron Hazel and Chase Tafoya.
Chase Tafoya, Ghost Guardian, acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24”
Dosch is one of the newest artists to the scene with his bronze depictions of Native American figures, but one would never know with the skill and talent he’s bringing to the table. “I’m not very well known,” he says. “In fact, this year is the first time I’m showing in galleries, Manitou being the first. I’ve only been sculpting professionally for three years.”
Each of Dosch’s four pieces displayed at the show come from different inspirations. “I’ve only sculpted two actual people who have lived: Mah To Tho Pa and Big Knife,” he says. Pictured here is Dosch’s powerful piece Big Knife, a Chippewa/Cree figure who lived on the Rocky Boy’s reservation in Montana in the late 1800s. “I was able to find a couple old black-and-white photos of Big Knife for a reference. I love the hat he wears—the old reservation hats! I had an art collector approach me and commission that portrait for him. He agreed to let me make a limited run of them as long as he had the first. The rest of my Native American sculptures are not of any particular person.
Campbell Dosch, Big Knife, bronze, ed. of 10, 30 x 15 x 16”
One of Dosch’s favorite pieces, another male Native American figure, is Apsaalooke. “He took a year and a half to make,” says Dosch. “He is quite unique in composition compared to my others. A lot of negative space is incorporated in his composition with a floating base. This is something I’ll continue to do in the future—expand on this theme. His name means ‘crow’ in the native Crow language. He is a warrior and a leader that embodies strength, perseverance and honor…Depicted without arms, that’s the first thing many people notice, however that isn’t literal, it’s symbolic. The old Greek style may have influenced me a bit there, but what’s great about him is the emotion and feeling he conveys. He’s slightly ominous and a little intimidating but beautiful at the same time.”
Campbell Dosch, Apsaalooke, bronze, ed. of 30, 37 x 18 x 12”
Hazel will have work like painting Isom Dart, that reflects his dedication to focusing on minorities of the West. “Isom Dart is one of the few documented African American figures of the Old West at the turn of the century,” Hazel says. “He was a gambler, cowboy, rodeo clown and outlaw. Finding similar stories to his have proved difficult over the years, sadly.” Hazel notes that his additional pieces for the show will not focus on a specific person, but rather an “embodiment of a society that has gone overlooked in the conscience of general media.”
Aaron Hazel, Isom Dart, oil, 28 x 28”
Aaron Hazel, Hot Shot, oil, 40 x 30”Another significant piece by Hazel is titled Hot Shot, featuring a cowgirl, which celebrates women of the Old West. “This piece seeks to serve as a mechanism of empowerment at a time when women were especially not granted the same rights as their male counterparts,” says Hazel. “The woman in Hot Shot is cool, calm, confident and symbolic of progress, disturbing the classical heteronormative gender model.”
Tafoya hopes to evoke an emotion and convey a message through his new work. In his acrylic painting Ghost Guardian, depicting a woman wrapped in a blanket alongside a bison, with billowing clouds and gorgeous landscape scenery in the background. “The bison is a symbol of strength and manifestation,” Tafoya explains. “The history, both good and bad, of this amazing animal is all too well known in America and the representation of the American spirit. To the Native tribes, the bison represented hope and was a guardian to the deep connection of the land and the tribes who lived there. The bison gave itself for the food, clothing and shelter of the people. Though many bison are gone, their spirit is forever.”
Curtis Wade, Brazos Cliffs – Chama, NM, oil on canvas, 40 x 30”
Wade will be contributing work like Brazos Cliffs – Chama, NM, a vibrantly painted landscape scene that includes the cliffs found in his hometown. “Being from New Mexico,” he says, “I like to paint iconic landscapes around me. I love trying to capture the amazing sunsets and clouds I see every day.” He also notes that he’s spent the last year honing his style. “My bright colors are still there but I am becoming a bit more realistic,” says Wade. “These new paintings reflect that shift in my work. Brazos Cliffs is all about capturing water as well as the light on the cliffs. I always love the challenge of rivers.” —
Upcoming Show
Up to 20 works
April 1 – May 2, 2022
Manitou Galleries
123 W. Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 986-0440, www.manitougalleries.com
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