Beginning October 29, the Plainsmen Gallery in Dunedin, Florida, hosts another Fall Harvest group show, featuring some of the best in Western, along with unique wildlife paintings and bronzes. Approximately 23 talented artists will present 75 pieces in a variety of mediums, with a special focus on small works—making for reasonably priced holiday gifts.
This year’s show will include the likes of John Coleman, Steven Lang, John Nieto, Deborah LaFogg, Harley Brown, Victor Blakey and Heather Kaiser, among many others. 
Lynn Wade, Backstage, oil on aluminum, 20 x 16"Painter David Yorke, known for portraying scenes of the American frontier, will feature figurative works such as Among the Giants, depicting a man standing in front of a towering Sequoia tree. “[This painting], an acrylic piece, was painted to capture a moment in time when the early explorers ventured West and found themselves in places that often compared to nowhere else—grand landscapes and natural wonders that almost were beyond description or belief by those back east,” Yorke explains. “These are the giant Sequoia, in Northern California, with trees as old as 3,000 years. They have been witness to more history than perhaps any other living thing on earth…If only they could speak.”
Yorke is also known for his depictions of Native Americans, and will not disappoint with works like Crow Autumn, a miniature oil meant to represent a mid 19th-century-era Crow Indian with his trusted horse. “There’s no particular story or cliche intended, but just a pretty picture of a time past,” says Yorke.
David Yorke, Among the Giants, oil, 17 x 17"
Horse and bird painter Lynn Wade, says of her show piece Backstage, “I knew I wanted to paint a great egret preening his gorgeous breeding plumage. My bird reference-photo was against dark green mangrove leaves, and I couldn’t improve on that background…but I did decide to combine a couple of photos of him together in the painting to look like two buddies ‘primping.’ When I finally had both images placed the way I wanted, I was struck by how it looked like they were getting ready to go onstage—and that’s how the title came about. At the same time that I thought of the title…I was reminded of Degas’ beautiful images of ballerina’s backstage in their finery!”
Steven Lang, A Warriors Vow, oil, 16 x 12"
Also on view for the show will be bronzes like such as Sandy Graves’ Who’s There? The stunning sculpture captures a scene of a mama bear with her two cubs in her distinctive, negative-space style. “I was creating a bunch of bears to work out some issues with a life size commission,” says Graves, “and this piece came to life with a mama bear, and I loved her so much that I decided to complete her for a stand-alone piece and added the babies for my son, who has been asking me to baby bears for over 10 years.”
Sandy Graves, Who’s There?, bronze, 7 x 8 x 7"Graves continues, “I’m surrounded by bears in my neighborhood among the Colorado Mountains. They’re a part of our lives and community and Who’s There? can be considered a representation for family. For this piece, I wound up sculpting in more detail than I normally do, and I’m very much enjoying it.”
See these wonderful pieces and many more at the Plainsmen Gallery through November 29. —
Powered by Froala Editor
