Legacy Gallery | August 9-18, 2024 | Santa Fe, NM

Forever West

Thirteen top Western artists showcase their works during an upcoming show at Legacy Gallery.

By Alyssa M. Tidwell

The spirit of the West is celebrated during an upcoming exhibition at Legacy Gallery in Santa Fe. Featuring 13 of the most talented Western artists working today—Glenn Dean, Morgan Weistling, John Moyers, Terri Kelly Moyers, G. Russell Case, Z.S. Liang, Jerry Jordan, Howard Post, Bill Anton, Don Oelze, Teresa Elliott, Robert Peters and Jeremy Lipking—the show “captures the enduring impact [the West has had] on our collective imagination.”

Don Oelze, The End of Thirsty Trail, oil, 32 x 38 in.

Cowboys on horseback instantly spark that wild Western feeling. Artists like Anton, Oelze and Dean all bring new paintings to the exhibition depicting various riders, including cowboys, ranchers and Native Americans on horseback.

“In my painting, [The End of Thirsty Trail], two Apache Indians ride on horseback along a ridge that winds down to a waterhole. The surrounding landscape is dry and rocky, reflecting the harsh, arid conditions they navigate,” Oelze explains. “I wanted this scene to capture their resilience and determination as they pick their way down to the vital water source below. As the Apache proverb says, ‘Wisdom sits in places,’ and I hope this painting embodies their profound connection to the land and their quest for survival.”

G. Russell Case, August Heat, oil, 18 x 27 in.

In Dean’s Afternoon Ride, a lone cowboy in the desert slowly rides toward the distant mountains. The scene evokes a sense of slowness, perhaps following a long day of hard work. “It is my hope that this piece conveys the effect of riding into the warm afternoon sun of summer. I have painted this effect in the landscape on numerous occasions and have several studies and memories to draw from, which have certainly contributed to the making of this painting,” says Dean. “I dedicated a good portion of the canvas to the empty bright sky and distant mesas, both without many visual features within them. This aids in achieving the effect of the atmosphere of this time of day and also provides a bit of visual rest when contrasted with the stronger light and dark shapes of the foreground.”

Teresa Elliott, Longhorn Morning, oil, 24 x 30 in.

Of course, ranches, horses, cattle and corrals are hugely emblematic of the West. Post’s oil Shonto’s Corrals depicts a horse mostly obscured by fencing and sagebrush. “I recently traveled to northern Arizona with a friend who is from that area. He [took] me through all the ranches and country he remembered as a youth,” says Post. “He remembered these corrals but noted he did not know the current owners. As there are a lot of Native Americans living in that area, I took the liberty of naming them Shonto’s Corrals, as I have a friend with that name.”

Glenn Dean, Afternoon Ride, oil, 20 x 25 in.

Elliott often focuses her artwork on portraits of cattle, realizing that the simplicity of these beasts brings her peace. “Sitting next to a group of resting cows helps me feel calm and relaxed. It’s a meditation that immediately erases the internal chatter and circular thinking that seems to have no value to my mental well-being. I can take all this positive input and express it on canvas and hopefully relay it to the viewer,” she says.

Bill Anton, The Morning Commute, oil on linen, 30 x 40 in.

When viewing Case’s August Heat, the pressure of the midday sun almost seems to radiate from the canvas. “[In] late summer at the Vermillion Cliffs, the tumbleweeds start to dry out and blow around. It doesn’t take much for afternoon showers to show up. The heat of August gives us the Virga trails, rain that evaporates before meeting the ground as it falls through the hot desert air. This was the inspiration behind August Heat,” he says.