It’s been said that you can’t throw a rock without hitting an art event in Wyoming in the month of September. At the center of all of it is Jackson Hole, which will once again play host to the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival from September 6 to 17.
Ewoud de Groot, Twilight Elk, oil on linen, 51 x 51”The annual 12-day period features a suite of activities and events that support the arts culture that thrives in this mountain town at the base of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. It is organized by the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, which also hosts many of the events, including the food-focused Palates & Palettes Free Gallery Walk on September 8 and the famous Jackson Hole QuickDraw on September 16 in the Town Square.
Guests watch artists paint during the Jackson Hole QuickDraw. Image courtesy Riley Frances.
This year’s Jackson Hole QuickDraw will feature an impressive lineup of artists: Geoffrey Gersten, Travis Walker, Mary Roberson, Andrew Denman, Patricia A. Griffin, Amber Blazina, Caleb Meyer, Aaron Hazel, Troy Collins, Bryce Pettit, Lyn St. Clair, Colt Idol, Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey, Julie Jeppsen and Jim Wilcox, among others. Artists will have 90 minutes to complete an original work of art, all of it finished in front of guests who can ask questions, take pictures and watch as the art takes shape. Following the 90-minute period, a live auction will be held to sell the artwork. The event is one of the highlights of the festival and one that brings out collectors from all over the country. The event takes place on September 16, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Works by Connor Liljestrom on display in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Image courtesy Riley Frances.
This year’s signature auction piece for the live sale is Ewoud de Groot’s Twilight Elk, which will be on view at the Cloudveil Hotel prior to the sale. “Producing a good painting is about exploring all the different facets of composition, color and technique and not just reproducing an image in a photorealistic way,” the artist says. “Although I consider myself a figurative painter, I always try to find that essential balance and tension between the more abstract background and the realism of the subjects. In a way you could say that I am on the frontier between figurative and non-figurative, or the traditional and the modern.”
Bidders crowd into a tent for the auction portion of the Jackson Hole QuickDraw. Image courtesy Riley Frances.
In addition to the events hosted by the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce are a number of other events that coincide with the festival and fall under its mandate of bringing arts into Wyoming. These events include Western Visions at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Jackson Hole Art Auction at the Center for the Arts and numerous gallery openings all around town. (Read about many of these events in this issue.)
An artist completes a pice of art during the Jackson Hole QuickDraw. Image courtesy Riley Frances.
For information about the festival, as well as a complete schedule, visit www.jacksonholechamber.com. —
Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival
September 6-17, 2023
Palates & Palettes Free Gallery Walk, Sept. 8, 5-7 p.m., various galleries
Western Design Conference, Sept. 8-10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Snow King Event Center
Arts on the Lawn, Sept. 10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Center for the Arts lawn
Western Visions Show + Sale, Sept. 14, 5-9:30 p.m., National Museum of Wildlife Art
Jackson Hole Art Auction, Sept. 15-16, noon, Center for the Arts
Jackson Hole QuickDraw, Sept. 16, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Jackson Hole Town Square
Sunday Art Brunch Free Gallery Walk, Sept. 17, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., various galleries
(307) 733-3316, www.jacksonholechamber.com
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