While Santa Fe often steals the spotlight, much of the region’s creative talent lives outside of the city—many of them concentrated in Taos, a longtime artist colony nestled among historic adobe buildings and a nearby ancient living pueblo. Continuing the tradition, Taos venue Parsons Gallery of the West is keeping it local by celebrating area artists in its annual Big Summer Showat its historic Kit Carson Road location. The month-long exhibition kicks off on Saturday, August 3, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m., and the unveiling of new works by some of the most notable established and up-and-coming Western artists, many of whom will be in attendance on opening night.
Jerry Jordan, Before the Sun Goes Down, oil, 16 x 20 in.
“The building where Parsons Gallery of the West is housed is the perfect place for creative spirits to gather,” says gallery director Ashley Rolshoven. “It was once Victor Higgins’ home and studio in the 1920s, and later, in the 1950s became one of Taos’ first galleries, the Blue Door.”
Among the artists whose work will be displayed in this historic setting are Nathanael Volckening, Ron Rencher, Scott Yeager, Dan Stovall, Amery Bohling, Chloé Burk, Katelyn Betsill Del Vecchio, Jerry Jordan, John Moyers, Melwell Romancito, and many others.
Jerry Jordan has been with Parsons Gallery of the West since 2006 and has participated in the Big Summer Show since its inception, and points out that the artists get to choose the works in the show.
Melwell Romancito, Feast Day, oil, 12 x 12 in.
He will have two pieces in this year’s exhibition, including Before the Sun Goes Down, a loose, impasto-style depiction of a horse and Native American rider.
“The photo for this painting was captured on Blueberry Hill overlooking the Millicent Rogers place,” Jordan explains, adding that he had two photoshoots with men from Taos Pueblo, each with a horse of a different color, that produced 1,300 images. “Each painting is an opportunity to study color chords to describe the scene,” he says. “I strive to convey a peace in each painting by using the chosen subject. I do not choose a style to portray the scene, but rather the method of how I apply the paint.”
Amery Bohling, Whispers from the Canyon, oil, 24 x 36 in.
Melwell Romancito, another returning artist, is particularly fond of the Big Summer Show. “We put on our Taos finery—bolo ties and concho belts—and we know the gallery is going to be polished and burnished, and all the artists will have brought their very best.” Romancito’s best includes the oil on linen Feast Day. “I remember so clearly my first visit to the pueblo at Feast Day of Santa Cruz…My husband, whose family on his mother’s side is [from] Taos Pueblo, took me to the foot races before we were married. We arrived soon after sunrise as people started to gather to watch. I remember being dazzled by the colors of the blankets and shawls, while the air was still slightly crisp.”
Katelyn Betsill Del Vecchio, Where the Rainbow Waits for Rain, oil, 24 x 24 in.
Dan Stovall’s recent paintings have been leaning toward a more illustrative style. “Movement, design and drama have become more important for me than photo realism,” says Stovall. His piece Pulling the Slack shows a cowboy who has just thrown his lasso over a yearling trying to make a break for it. “The scene anticipates the moment when the slack is pulled out of the rope and dallied,” explains Stovall. “With paintings like this and the few others I have at Parsons’ Big Summer Show, I’ve been hiding the modern West in the guise of Old West illustration, showing events and moments that happen all over the West still today.”
Ron Rencher, A Song by the River, oil, 24 x 36 in.
New to Parsons and the Big Summer Show, Amery Bohling will be presenting two major works, including Whispers from the Canyon, a vista from Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
“Recently my artistic direction has veered towards offering a more unique perspective,” says Bohling. “I’m fascinated by capturing viewpoints often overlooked by casual observers. In Whispers from the Canyon,I intended to evoke a sense of scale and tranquility through soft, dusty desert hues. As you view the painting, please take a moment to immerse yourself in its depths. What truly excites me as an artist is the opportunity to imbue each piece with an element of discovery, inviting viewers to engage with the artwork on a deeply personal level.”
Dan Stovall, Pulling the Slack, oil, 40 x 30 in.
Another desert landscape is the subject of Katelyn Betsill Del Vecchio’s Where the Rainbow Waits for Rain, this one featuring rainbow-lit sheets of rain coming down from thunderous monsoon clouds. “The real hidden element that drives the energy in this painting is the atmosphere in the high desert,” says the artist. “Air…hot as an oven, building clouds, refracting light in seemingly mysterious ways and dissolving the little moisture we long for. These elusive showers come and go nearly every afternoon but always seem to be slightly out of reach.” —
Parsons Gallery of the West 122 Kit Carson Road, Suite D » Taos, NM » (575) 737-9200 » www.parsonsart.com
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