Claggett/Rey has been hosting its annual Holiday Gala and concurrent exhibition since the gallery was founded 33 years ago, but this will be the first year the event will take place in Edwards, Colorado, where they relocated to from nearby Vail three years ago.
“We always hold it around the holidays because that’s when most of our clientele in town,” says gallery co-owner Maggie DeDecker. “Though we’ve moved from main shopping area of Vail, where we’re at now is a beautiful little community with great restaurants and an abundance of parking. It’s been a great move for us and we encourage our clients to come visit us if they haven’t already.” 
Derek Penix, Swirling Koi, oil, 33 x36”
Those who do visit during December will find works that range from Western-themed paintings and classical sculpture to artisan furniture and Native American jewelry.
While most of Claggett/Rey’s artists “hail from west of the Mississippi”—quite a few of whom are members of Cowboy Artists of America—they represent a wide scope of artistic styles. “We are traditional American but that entails landscape, still lifes and figurative as well as some more abstract work,” says DeDecker. “We’re not pigeonholed into any one genre and have a broad sense of who we carry.” 
Walt Gonske, Border Roses, oil, 18 x 24”
The holiday group exhibition will showcase approximately 50 new works by artists such as Jane DeDecker, Jim Rey, Tim Shinabarger, Don Coen, T.D. Kelsey, Walt Gonske, Josh Elliott, Gail Folwell, Derek Penix, Kent Lemon, Herb Mignery, Gerald Fritzler, W. Truman Hosner, Steve Kestrel, Daniel Sprick, Bo Joe, Timothy Standring, Quang Ho, Lanny Grant, Cyrus Afsary, Rich Loffler, Julie Oriet, Robert Pummill, Lynn Van De Water, Curt Walters, Brad Greenwood, Dan Ostermiller, Gordon Snidow and others.
Josh Elliott, Spring Renewal, oil, 30 x 36”
Sculptor Jane DeDecker, named Colorado Woman of the Year for spearheading the upcoming Women’s Suffrage National Monument in Washington, D.C., will show her dynamic bronze, Nike Ascending. “My work is not static, nor is it a finished thought,” notes the artist. “But rather tied to a moment in time and place that reflects the unfinished story that is our humanity.”
Walt Gonske’s Border Roses is characteristic of the artist’s use of bold brushstrokes, rich color and loose, intuitive style. Derek Penix will show his painting Swirling Koi. “I came across a Koi pond at the park and was instantly drawn to the light and shadow across the surface of the water,” says Penix about the inspiration for the piece. “The koi were swirling just beneath the surface. I loved their life and movement. Their colors were so mesmerizing, that I had to paint them.” 
Jane DeDecker, Nike Ascending, bronze, 22 x 15 x 15”
Many featured artists are expected to attend the Holiday Gala which will take place December 29 from 5 to 8 p.m. “It’s always fun to meet and greet with the artists. It provides a deeper connection and perspective to any work of art,” Maggie DeDecker says. “Bill [Rey] and I both agree about its importance—for new and experienced collectors alike.”
Don Coen, North of Casper, oil stick, 41 x 61”
Josh Elliott, who will be showing Spring Renewal, has been participating in Claggett/Rey Gallery’s Holiday Gala for 20 years and tries to attend the event in person whenever possible. “It feels like an intimate group show, with some of my favorite artists that I call friends. Bill and Maggie Rey are like family and when I have the chance to attend it’s like coming home for the holidays. I get the sense that it is that way for everyone that walks through the door at the opening—this gallery is built on relationships.” —
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