One of the most anticipated online sales of the year, Maxwell Alexander Gallery’s Black Fridayshow, will take place November 24 on the gallery’s website. Collectors are encouraged to be at their computer and ready to go well before the start time at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
Phil Epp, Storm, acrylic, 18 x 14"
The artwork will only be previewed for 30 minutes, after which the store will activate and purchases can be made. In past years, we have encouraged potential buyers to use wired internet connections, close unnecessary browser tabs and other tricks to help maximize internet speed—anything to get a leg up on what amounts to one of the gallery’s most popular annual shows.
“Last year we sold 110 paintings in 15 minutes,” says gallery owner Beau Alexander. “We’re expecting over 200 pieces of original art to be available this year by over 50 artists—we’ve expanded the number per artist that will be available.”
John Moyers, The Trail West, oil, 10 x 12"
The majority of the works in the show will be priced at $2,500 or less, offering great opportunities to collect paintings from some of the top artists in all of Western art. Participating artists include Eric Bowman, David Grossmann, Joshua LaRock, John Moyers, Billy Schenck, Josh Elliott, Phyllis Shafer and many others.
Howard Post will be offering his 6-by-12-inch painting Pen #6, which shows some of the artist’s favorite subjects. “A couple of years ago we were in Fort Worth on some business, but we made a point of scouting the famous rodeo arena where they filmed part of the cowboy cult movie with George Strait, Pure Country,” the artist says. “Also, there are the famous Fort Worth stockyards. I spent a lot of time there getting inspired by the maze of old corrals and pens. It’s sort of like a shrine for a ‘fence guy’ like me. Pen #6 resulted from that visit.”
Howard Post, Pen #6 ,oil, 6 x 12"
Another work in the show is Bowman’s Study for Fence Walker, a 7-by-7-inch acrylic of his oil piece Fence Walker, which appeared in a major solo show in 2019. The larger painting was quickly scooped up, so anyone who missed their shot will have another opportunity with this smaller study that shows Bowman’s composition was largely unchanged between study and final painting. One minor difference is the warmth in the distant hills in the study, while the finished painting has cooler colors in the distance.
Other artists offering studies of larger pieces include Schenck, who will be presenting Study for Clint, and LaRock, who is offering Scout, a 12-by-13-inch version of a larger piece from several years ago.
Joshua LaRock, Scout, oil, 12 x 13"
Elliott will have Mosaic Canyon, a scene showing a dry riverbed that runs around a carved cliffside. The artist’s loosely painted brushwork is on clear display, showing each dab of color that builds an image from a blank canvas. Another artist whose brushwork is so clearly and beautifully visible is Moyers, who will be showing The Trail West. The painting has three riders emerging from a cluster of yellow sagebrush.
More contemporary works include Shafer’s Alpine Lake, with ribbons of blue and white in the sky, and Grossmann’s Bright Autumn Hill, an oil on panel showing fall colors reaching up to a vibrant sky.
Josh Elliott, Mosaic Canyon, oil, 6 x 12"
Phil Epp, also known for his contemporary images of the West, will be presenting Storm, showing a horse on a hill as a dramatic purple downpour fills the background. “This is a study of contrasts,” the artist says. “Vulnerability and threat. Dark and light. Movement and stillness. Frailty and strength.”
Eric Bowman, Study for Fencewalker, acrylic, 7 x 7"
In addition to being a popular and well-liked show—as well as an envious one for collectors who miss out on those 9 a.m. offerings—Black Friday is also a season opener as the Western art world shifts to small works and group shows that help set the stage for the holiday season. —
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