November 19, 2022 | Settlers West Galleries | Tucson, AZ

Fall in the Desert

Settler West Galleries returns with its popular Great American West sale.

There is no better time to visit the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona than in the late fall as temperatures dip, the critters come out to play and the evening light rakes across the Santa Catalina Mountains in magnificent pink, orange and gold. Art collectors should also enjoy this time of year as Settlers West Galleries hosts its annual Great American West sale in Tucson. Rachel Brownlee, Rise and Shine, charcoal and acrylic, 29 x 29”

The popular show, which celebrated its 50th year in 2021, presents more than 110 works by 56 artists who work across many categories of Western art—from cowboys and cattle, to Native Americans and pioneer scenes, to Western still life and wildlife. Artwork is purchased using a box-draw format that creates a fun-filled evening for bidders, especially as the boxes are opened and winners are announced at the end of the night. Darcie Peet, Early Evening Twinkle, oil, 12 x 24”Some of the works that will be available include a stunning new Robert Griffing painting, On the Trail to Trade, showing a high-angle view down on a party of Native Americans as they cross a small forest stream; Oreland Joe’s ledger-inspired acrylic and ink painting titled Yellow Rocks and Blue Coats; Colt Idol’s Evening Rising, showing a teepee lit up by the fading sunset; Daniel K. Tennant’s still life painting of apples, Crisp and Tart; and Albin Veselka’s oil painting The Business End, of a horse and rider on a moonlit night.Robert Griffing, On the Trail to Trade, oil, 30 x 24”

Colt Idol, Evening Rising, oil, 24 x 36”

One of the new up-and-coming artists participating in this year’s show is charcoal artist Rachel Brownlee, who will be offering Rise and Shine, a charcoal and acrylic work showing a horse and rider. “Rise and Shine depicts a young man and his horse, youthful in time, but skilled through experience,” she says of the work. “The sun is just rising on their lives, but they are ‘old hands’ at their jobs. The focus of the piece is meant to be the man’s hands holding the rope with such practiced habit and his horse attentively awaiting his command.”John Fawcett, Cowboy Chatter, oil, 24 x 30”

A prominent returning artist is Texas painter George Hallmark, who is presenting An Early Start, showing a man preparing a little burro for their day of work. Hallmark finds much of his material within old towns in Mexico and in the pueblos of New Mexico, and this painting is part of that collection of work. “I photographed this old adobe at the Taos Pueblo several years ago,” Hallmark says. “I thought it would be interesting to portray an individual who had to rise early, before the full moon set, to begin preparation for either work or a journey.”George Hallmark, An Early Start, oil, 30 x 36”

Albin Veselka, The Business End, oil, 12 x 10”

Darcie Peet, who lives in Southern Arizona, will be showing Early Evening Twinkle, which shows part of Tucson. “A day of hiking in Pima Canyon in the Catalina Mountains outside of Tucson draws to a close. No more hikers are near. We are surrounded by utter silence, stillness and calm as nature around us settles down for nightfall,” she says of the work. “In tackling this painting, I knew it would be a challenge in value and temperature to create the mood we were experiencing. With the sun almost set, there was nothing but shadow remaining in the canyon where there were only subtle changes in light and dark as well as warm and cool of the various desert, plant life, ledges and strewn rock to differentiate form and texture. No more strong desert daylight to craft shadow and bold shapes. However, the setting sun, almost to the horizon, sets the distant Tucson mountains aglow and flashes one last burst of color as its light rakes across the top of ridgeline shrubs and brilliantly bends around saguaro columns and the irregular edges of twigs and leaves. Twilight will soon shift to night as the sparkle and twinkle of city lights begin to flicker across the city below. Time to carefully hustle so we are out of the canyon and off rocky trails before it gets too dark!”Oreland Joe, Yellow Rocks and Blue Coats, acrylic and ink, 16 x 20”Another regular at the Settlers West show is oil and watercolor painter John Fawcett, who will be showing Cowboy Chatter. “Gathering cattle on many of the large ranches in the West is a time of long days and hard work among ranch hands, family, friends and neighbors, and also a time of camaraderie,” the artist says. “The day starts at dawn and by late morning, a break to water horses at the stock tank will let friends gather to discuss the day’s activities, family and the world’s problems. This bonding is a valuable part of working for the brand, while onlookers might think it is just 'cowboy chatter.’”