As the weather heats up (and up) in Arizona, Settlers West sets out to celebrate its catalog of acclaimed artists with the annual Summer Show. “This event offers us the opportunity to showcase paintings and sculpture by artists we have proudly represented for years alongside new and emerging talents, and this mix makes for an exciting collecting opportunity for art enthusiasts,” says gallery manager Mike Salkowski. With more than 80 Western works, the show includes a wonderful variety of themes, styles and mediums, offering a little something for everyone.
Ed Kucera, Home Stretch, oil, 24 x 36”
Canadian artist and Western enthusiast Ross Buckland will feature two of his aviation- and landscape-themed paintings seen in pieces like Bringing the Goods. “Both new paintings are a little different in that instead of a mountainous backdrop, they feature the hills and lakes found in north central Canada,” Buckland explains. “For example, in Bringing the Goods, an eastbound Canadian Pacific freight train is saluted with a low pass by an Austin Airways Fairchild F51/71. The landscape, typical of northern Ontario, provides the background for the circa 1947 scene. Old radial engine bush planes and steam trains are always favorite subjects, so why not combine the two!”
Rachel Brownlee, Lady with a Rope, charcoal, 26 x 19”
Colorado artist Ed Kucera will showcase his paintings that portray people. “I am told that [many] are drawn to my portraits, and I love painting them and probably always will,” Kucera remarks. “However, I have gotten into doing pieces that have action injected into the narrative. I think the pieces that turn out best for me are the ones where the subject or subjects are not aware that any one is watching…Recently I have been more inspired by body language, whether its animals or people.”
Kenneth Peloke, Field of Dreams, oil, 36 x 48”
Ian Ramsay, Parker Farm, Vermont, watercolor, 13 x 19”In his piece Home Stretch, Kucera was inspired by slalom skiers. “I have always been fascinated by the way they get past the poles, most always hitting them,” he says. “In this painting, it shows the Native rider passing by a boundary marker, much like the slalom skier. The boundary marker (like a slalom pole) is a lance with the blade end driven into the ground by the subject to the furthest right of the painting, who no doubt wants there to be a fair race. The young ladies to the right are somewhat fascinated by this display of male bonding. The elder to the left sitting on the ground is just realizing that there is a race going on…The man on horseback is very curious as to the outcome of the race…The tipi behind the horse and rider was there to accent the lead rider with darker horse, and gives a domestic feel to the painting.”
Darcie Peet, Sundown’s Amber Glow, oil, 14 x 14”
Artist Darcie Peet is often inspired by her home and time spent in the desert of the Southwest and the Canadian Rockies. She notes that her favorite season and time of day in the desert, as pictured in her painting Sundown’s Amber Glow, is later afternoon to sundown in the winter, when “shadows are long, colors are rich and the air is fresh and cool,” she says. “Cycling many days along the base of Pusch Ridge in the Catalina Mountains outside of Tucson, I see and experience the desert and this mountain range in so many moods and colors. The trail leading into [Sundown’s Amber Glow], is the Linda Vista hiking trail, which skirts the base of this very recognizable ridgeline. Big, end-of-the-day, lavender-blue shadows start to slide over the landscape and set aglow the swaths of burnt orange and sienna cliff faces and slopes…”
Ross Buckland, Bringing the Goods, oil, 18 x 24”
Painter Ian Ramsay, out of Utah, depicts slightly looser brushwork in his painting Parker Farm, Vermont. “This is the overall direction of my paintings at this time. I am working on more relaxed brushstroke with stronger compositions while still making use of selective detail,” Ramsay notes. “This piece is a study in composition and contrast. Winter scenes offer stark contrast in value and color, and I took as much of these factors into consideration as I could in developing this composition. In my opinion, it sits well on the paper, flows around the scene and jumps out at you. Farm buildings nestled into trees in the snow are one of my favorite subjects. Parker Farm is a result of several winter sketches that I have done over the years.”
This treasured show will include many more thrilling works of art, all available via fixed-price, by-draw sale. Join Settlers West in an opening preview on May 7 at 10 a.m., a reception starting at 5 p.m. and the draw at 7 p.m. Artworks will be on view on the gallery website three weeks ahead of the show opening. —
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