Altamira Fine Art | Opens July 2, 2024 | Jackson Hole, WY

The Classic West

Altamira Fine Art in Wyoming presents solo shows for Dennis Ziemienski and Howard Post.

By Michael Clawson

July is smack in the middle of the summer season in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with thousands of people coming through town to enjoy the weather, see the wildlife and visit nearby national parks. Altamira Fine Art will celebrate the active summer season with a pair of solo shows from two of its most prominent and respected artists: Dennis Ziemienski and Howard Post.

Dennis Ziemienski, In the Clouds, oil, 48 x 48 in.

The first show is Ziemienski’s In the Clouds, which will open July 2 and run through July 16. A reception will be held on July 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. The show will feature a mixed-bag of Ziemienski’s iconographic Western subjects, including two cloud-themed pieces. One is In the Clouds, showing a rider seemingly riding into a storm that fills the background. Ziemienski is widely known for his varied artwork that speaks to many aspects of the West, from classic cowboy imagery and landscapes to works that focus on roadside attractions and curious bits of history from the 1920s and 1930s. “That sweet spot from the early to the middle of the 20th century, that’s where I like to find inspiration,” Ziemienski says.

Dennis Ziemienski, High Desert Mustangs, oil, 60 x 72 in.

Howard Post, Keepers, oil, 48 x 36 in.

Post’s show will open July 9 and run through July 23. Like Ziemienski, Post paints classic Western imagery but with a contemporary edge that makes the work more universal. One of his new works is Keepers, showing a pen of horses, each one with unique coloring. Post has long had a fascinating color palette, one that can go vibrant and bold, but also mellow and muted. His exceptional skill with color is also on view in a work like The Fenceline, with a sky that transitions from deep blue, violet and pink, all of which help the orange sunlight on nearby mountains radiate with warmth.