Parsons Gallery of the West in Taos, New Mexico, is revved up for a very special show featuring around 30 masterful works of landscapes, still lifes and portraits. Seven talented artists showcase their Western-inspired creations, while some highlight the flavor of the Taos region. The show titled Looking West will include artists Melinda Littlejohn, Mary Dolph Wood, Drew Macias, Jim Keffer, Scott Yeager, Don Ward and Spike Ress.
Drew Macias, The Weight of the West, oil on panel, 12 x 9”“Taos has historically been a place of inspiration, bringing many of the most influential and important Western artists to the area; these artists are no exception,” says Anne Delling, Parson’s assistant director.
Scott Yeager, Summer Sunshine, oil on linen, 36 x 30”
For Drew Macias’ figurative works, his dream is that the viewer “will see my paintings and imagine their own story of who this person was or what they are thinking,” he says. “I think I will always strive and search for ways to tell a story through my art and I can’t wait to see where it evolves. Every face has a story and especially with old cowboys, there are tales of the West baked into their skin.”
Spike Ress, Sunset Moonrise, oil, 16 x 16”
Mary Dolph Wood, living and working in Taos, contributes one of her brilliant floral still lifes to the show. “The elements that show up in my work are a passion for color and brushwork,” she shares. “I want to portray a sense of movement in my still life, which seems an oxymoron, but I want to express the living essence as I always paint from life. Also, the dynamic of light as it falls across the still life that I am observing.” For her piece Grand Sunflowers, Wood notes that she was inspired by one of her favorite artists, Nicolai Fechin (1881-1955), who, in turn, was heavily influenced by Taos culture. “I was at the Harwood Museum in Taos and on display was one of his masterful pieces with huge sunflowers,” Wood explains. “I was wondering where I would find huge sunflowers, and then, at the farmer’s market the next Saturday I found a woman selling Russian giant sunflowers. I was delighted. I purchased them and began to work on my piece.”
Mary Dolph Wood, Grand Sunflowers, oil on board, 30 x 25”
Another Taos-based artist, Melinda Littlejohn, has strong family ties to the area and to the Taos art scene. She will showcase one of her powerful yet, peaceful pottery still life paintings titled Thistle and Lace. “Each piece of pottery I depict usually comes with an emotional attachment,” she says. “My family has collected North American pueblo pottery since the late 1800s. I love painting the pots that I have inherited in a chiaroscuro style, with a desire to depict a calm, quiet moment, using light and shadow. I attempt to convey a sense of timeless beauty that I find in each vessel.”
Jim Keffer, Distant Storm, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 34”
Show attendees will also see plenty of epic, Western landscape views painted distinctly in works like Sunset Moonrise by Spike Ress, Distant Storm by Jim Keffer and Mountain View by Don Ward. In Scott Yeager’s oil painting Summer Sunshine—depicting a deer with fawns enjoying a beautiful summer day on a lush hillside—the artist plays with his common themes of “creating a visual diary of life that’s going on around where I live and the places I spend time, including the landscape, the creatures and people that live there.” He uses strong design, lighting and his knowledge of anatomy and habitat to create mood.
Melinda Littlejohn, Thistle and Lace, oil, 5 x 7”
These impressive works and many more will hang at Parsons Gallery of the West through early June. An opening reception will open the show on May 13 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. —
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