For the month of August, Mockingbird Gallery in Bend, Oregon, examines new paintings by seasoned Western artists Tom Browning and John DeMott in Western Traditions—two bodies of work that are complimentary and yet, very different. Both artists note that there isn't a lot of crossover of subject matter and they have very different styles, but their portrayals of varying historical time periods are truly breathtaking and illuminating placed side by side. 
John DeMott, Daughter of the Plains People, oil, 20 x 16”
“My work will represent a little more of a Northwest feel, while John’s subjects are more of the Rocky Mountain regions,” Browning explains. “Both of us love to paint subjects of the great American West.” DeMott notes, “Tom and I have been around painting the West a long time—probably around 100 years or so combined…so when I was asked if I would consider a two-man show with him, there was no hesitation. We are both diverse in our subjects and we approach painting each in our own way.”
Browning usually tries to include works that represent what he’s best known for—scenes of cowboys chasing horses with lots of dust, for example, but for this exhibit, the artist wanted to introduce some “different themes that include genres that are a little less action-packed and more serene,” he says. “The expansion of the American West has always interested me, so I’ve done a couple of pieces that depict a quieter time in this era. And straight landscapes without the human element will be included for those collectors who are drawn more to traditional types of scenes.”
Tom Browning, Clearing Skies, oil, 35 x 44”
These “serene” moments are depicted in pieces like Clearing Skies, “a dynamic but quiet scene that draws the viewer in,” says Browning, “especially when standing in front of the painting.” The snow-laden, mountainous depiction is truly awe-inspiring. He continues, “Anyone who has spent time on higher elevation hiking trails has probably experienced this beautiful phenomenon as overcast skies break, and the sun comes out to illuminate certain parts of the landscape—all to change in the next few minutes.”
Other significant “quiet” pieces by Browning include Evening Chat, of a male and female figure each on horseback, having a talk among a desert setting and colorful sky, and Dreams of Home, featuring a pioneer woman gazing out a window. “[The piece] represents the more subdued moments during the epic push to migrate from the East to the far reaches of the American West,” says Browning.
John DeMott, Got You Now, oil, 16 x 20”
DeMott’s show work will include a continuation of his past themes like the American Frontier, the Plains Native people and North American wildlife. “I keep things as fresh as I can by getting new reference material and by revisiting old reference material on this subject matter,” DeMott explains.
In his show piece Daughter of the Plains People, the artist features a young girl from the Sioux tribe, taken from a reference photograph many years ago in Colorado. “I loved her face,” DeMott recalls. “In the painting, she seems to be curious of what’s going on outside as she steps out of the lodge door to have a look, and holding a small rag doll that most likely had fallen out of the back of a settler’s wagon.”
Tom Browning, Evening Chat, oil, 20 x 30”
Additional shows pieces include DeMott’s wildlife depictions like Got You Now, of a coyote in the middle of his hunt. “If you ever spend time out in the wild along the foothills, in farm country,” says the artist, “with a little luck, you might catch a coyote or a fox hunting mice. They can feel and hear the vibration of a mouse four feet down. When they pounce on the ground, the mouse will come up to see who is knocking at the door.” —
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