Brett Allen Johnson, Two Mountains, oil, 30 x 24”

“We have 64 artists in the show, including many old favorites, but this year we also have 15 new artist that we are really excited about,” says Stephen Aron, the museum’s Calvin and Marilyn Gross Director and President and CEO. “This is our 27th year and we have at least a few of those artists who have been with us for nearly all of those years. What keeps the show fresh are those new artists who will certainly contribute greatly to this year’s show.”

Dustin Van Wechel, Lookin’ for Little Red, oil on linen, 36 x 24”

The exhibition opens to the public on February 10, but collectors will want to mark their calendars for February 24, when the museum will present the sale and other events tied to the celebration weekend. Events include an artist reception, two different educational panels that will promote discussion within the genre of Western art and then the fixed-price, by-draw sale that will take place on the evening of February 24. The Masters of the American West is one of the first major museum exhibitions that restarts the Western art circuit for the new year. Western Art Collector is a proud media sponsor.

John Fawcett, Reflections of Roman Nose, oil, 40 x 50”

Although not many Western exhibitions take place in Los Angeles, the location for the Masters is fitting in several ways. First, California is almost as far west as someone can go within the lower 48 states. And secondly, Hollywood’s sparkle shines bright on the museum, which sits at the base of Griffith Park. Just up the mountain from the museum is the Griffith Observatory, which has served as an iconic filming location for movies such as Rebel Without a Cause and The Terminator. Across the mountain is the Hollywood sign, and below that many of the movie studios. It was here where Westerns were king for decades, and where Gene Autry became one of the most famous TV cowboys to ever live. The museum bears his name and continues his legacy. When guests visit the museum, they celebrate the unique intersection of Western culture and art. 

Preston Singletary (Tlingit), Raven and Killer Whale, blown and sand-carved glass, 15 x 22 x 4¼”

At the center of that is the Masters of the American West. “I can’t speak to other museums, but for the Autry, we put on these shows as a way for us to speak to our mission statement, which is to bring people together to tell stories, and then to connect the past and the present to inspire our shared future,” says Aron. “We feel that Masters exemplifies what our mission statement is all about. We want to show art that inspires. These are works of wonder.”

Dean Mitchell, Warm Winter, watercolor, 30 x 22”

Artists in this year’s show include a who’s who of Western artists: Bill Anton, Bill Nebeker, Billy Schenck, Brent Cotton, Brett Allen Johnson, Dean Mitchell, Dustin Van Wechel, George Carlson, Grant Redden, Howard Post, James Morgan, John and Terri Kelly Moyers, Logan Maxwell Hagege, Sandy Scott and many others. This year’s lineup is also noteworthy for its large list of Native American artists: Autumn Borts-Medlock, Tammy Garcia, Doug Hyde, Greyshoes (Upton Ethelbah Jr.), Hyrum Joe, Oreland Joe, Johnson Yazzie, Kevin Red Star, Mateo Romero, Preston Singletary, Russell Sanchez, Shonto Begay, Terrance Guardipee and Tony Abeyta. Several of those artists will be introducing new mediums to the show, including Guardipee who creates ledger art and Singletary, a glass artist. 

James Morgan, Night on the Town, oil on linen, 20 x 30”

Eric Merrell, who is based in Los Angeles, will be returning the Masters of the American West with several impressive pieces that are testaments to the vastness of the land, including Desert Skies and Railroad Ties,showing a railroad track stretching past the horizon on a sunny day. “The original railroad tracks here in the low desert ran at a lower elevation through the Salton Sink Basin, below sea level, to the left of this spot,” Merrell says of the work. “When the Salton Sink flooded around 1906 and created the Salton Sea, the original tracks were inundated and had to be moved further east to a higher elevation. Toward the right horizon are the Mecca Hills, and further in the distance to the left is San Gorgonio, usually snow-capped even in summer, with its uppermost reaches at an elevation over 11,000 feet, the highest in Southern California.”

Kathryn Stedham, Sunset at Chimney Rock, oil on canvas, 48 x 60”

 

Logan Maxwell Hagege, Time and Space, oil, 40 x 60”

Another returning artist is John Fawcett, who has participated in the show with two mediums, oil and watercolor. This year he will be bringing several of each, including his historical piece Reflections of Roman Nose,which is based on a real person. “Roman Nose, a Northern Cheyenne, was a member of the Crooked Lance Society and although not a chief or medicine man, he was a well-respected leader. He was known for his spirited horse and always carried a peculiar lance with an elkhorn tip,” Fawcett says. “The source of his ‘great medicine’ was also the single-horn buffalo headdress made for him by White Buffalo Bull, which had a long tail reaching towards the ground with 40 eagle feathers. Always displaying overwhelming confidence, he was easily recognized by other tribes. His actions gave strength and spirit to others, and he was called ‘the warrior of warriors.’”

Amery Bohling, The Guardian, oil on linen, 26 x 46”

Scottsdale, Arizona-based painter Amery Bohling will be presenting several large landscapes. One of them, The Guardian, depicts the most iconic land feature in Arizona. “I was inspired to paint The Guardian as a tribute to an ancient story passed down by the Hualapai tribe, who have resided at the Grand Canyon for countless generations,” she says. “It’s said they once lived at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. As the legend goes, a great eagle of immense stature came to their rescue amid a catastrophic flood, carrying them away from the depths of the Canyon and guiding them to a new home on the western rim. Once they were securely placed, the eagle transformed into stone. To this day he remains the guardian of the Hualapai."

Steve Kestrel, Shadow of Doubt, bronze, ed. of 21, 2 x 17 x 10½”

Sculptor Steve Kestrel will bring Shadow of Doubt, which shows a frog cautiously peering up as a shadow looms over a pool of water. “I wanted to have a bit of a twist with this piece, not only with the shadow of a raptor possibly threatening the frog from above, but also with the title as a ‘play on words’ since many of us use the phrase,” the artist says. “The ‘shadow’ is done just before the patina is applied by using a metal sandblasting template I made with the raptor image which fits snuggly over the bronze and then that area is blasted with very coarse sand. The image is only apparent at certain viewing angles because of the way the light is reflected, thus a subtle surprise.”