The Brinton Museum’s annual Bighorn Rendezvousis one of the most popular Western art shows in the country, where some of the very best Western artists showcase their latest works. This year, a total of 18 artists’ work will be on display for visitors to explore: Roger Broer, Tammy Callens, Karen Conduff, Don Demers, Jessica Garrett-Lawrence, Daniel Glanz, Tony Hochstetler, Jacqueline Jones, Jim Jurosek, Tom Lockhart, David Mensing, Anton Nowels, John Potter, Gabrielle Reeves, John Taft, Jim Trapp, Scott Yeager and the 2024 featured artist, Joel Ostlind.
Scott Yeager, Summer Deer, oil on linen, 18 x 16 in.
Works on display during the Bighorn Rendezvous exhibition will be available to view from July 13 to August 24 at the Brinton Museum in Big Horn, Wyoming. The quickdraw takes place on Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m. to noon, followed by a ticketed dinner and art auction that same evening.
“To be a featured artist is an honor I value,” says Ostlind, a painter and printmaker. “It also makes it feel like I’ve been in the game a while. The Brinton Museum was a real asset at the beginning of my career. I really value our working relationship and hope to be an asset for the museum in the show.” Ostlind, who is from Wyoming, says his work in the show is based on Wyoming landscapes that he painted both in plein air and in the studio. “As the featured artist, [I] will do an intaglio printmaking demo, going from a smooth plate through engraving and drypoint, to finally pull a new print. So, wish me luck!”
David Mensing, That Which Is, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in.
“I am really looking forward to participating in the Bighorn Rendezvous…again this summer,” says Mensing, who creates painterly and impressionistic nature scenes. “The museum is stunning, and the people involved are terrific to work with. I am especially excited to be there in person for the quickdraw and auction at the close of the exhibit in August. The Big Horn, Wyoming, area is distinctively Western. On the opposite end of the state from Yellowstone and Teton, the landscape is less about notable natural landmarks and more about a sweeping sense of place. In every direction, the straightforward, unspoiled beauty is relentlessly compelling.”
Joel Ostlind, The Moody Bighorn Mountains, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 in.
Mensing says he is working to capture that sense of majesty in his paintings for the upcoming show. “The beauty of creation is elusive because of its abundance. Striving to contain any beautiful moment brings wonderful assurance that the experience is too profound to ever really be contained. My task as an artist is to delimit or refine the subject, to draw out the depth of beauty, even beyond the visual.”
All of Yeager’s paintings start from sketches that he creates outdoors. “If I don’t have a paintbrush in my hand in the summer, you will find me on a stream with a fly rod. Many times while on a quiet stream I have been graced by the presence of wildlife. In this case it was a doe and a fawn,” he says of his showpiece Summer Deer. “The complement of their reddish summer coats against the summer greens along the stream have always captured my eye… I continue to find peace and calmness along rivers, streams and mountain lakes, which is what inspires this piece and other works in progress for the show.” —
Bighorn Rendezvous
July 13-August 24, 2024
The Brinton Museum
239 Brinton Road Big Horn, WY 82833
(307) 672-3173, www.thebrintonmuseum.org
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