The Mountain Oyster Club is celebrating 55 years of showcasing Western art with the annual Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale, hosted at the historic Pond Mansion. The event, scheduled for Sunday, November 24, promises new works from more than 200 emerging and nationally renowned artists.
“The art show is an integral part of the Mountain Oyster Club, whose mission is to preserve the traditions of the West and the Western lifestyle,” says Wendy Davis, art committee member. “Western art is an incredibly important part of that mission as it documents the West, past and present. We are very proud to exhibit works from some of the most respected artists of the genre today, alongside emerging artists who will be the headliners of tomorrow.”
Rachel Brownlee, The Spade, charcoal, 36 x 24 in.
While there are a number of festivities leading up to the event, Davis comments that the most exciting moment is the main event, “designed for the artists to mix and mingle with each other and enjoy the club’s atmosphere,” she shares. “This is an incredible opportunity for the artists to expand their network of colleagues and spend casual time reconnecting with good friends.”
Collectors in attendance will have the opportunity to bid on artworks in the form of an intent-to-purchase sale during the event, and can expect to find a bevy of both traditional and contemporary Western themes in mediums like oil, pastel, watercolor, pencil, pen and ink, bronze and alabaster.
Deborah Copenhaver Fellows, She Rode Good Horses, bronze, 15 x 7½ in.
Included in this year’s fanfare is the featured artist, Rachel Brownlee, who will join the club’s Honorary Artist Members. “[Our annual sale] was Brownlee’s first public show…,” Davis adds. “Her work looked like it was created by someone who really understands their subject matter and after meeting her, it was clear that she truly lives the images she creates. When talking to her about that first show piece, she explained that she knew the chinks on one of the cowboys were really short, but no, it wasn’t an artist error! She told us the story of the cowboy who loved those chinks and wore nothing else. It didn’t matter to him that they weren’t ‘the right length.’”
For this year’s event, Brownlee, known for her realistic charcoal depictions of all things Western, offers her piece The Spade—a very detailed still life scene of Western gear.
The show and sale opens on November 24, held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Artworks will remain on view through mid-January. —
Mountain Oyster Club: Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale
November 24, 2024
Pond Mansion
6400 E. El Dorado Circle, C100 Tucson, AZ 85715
(520) 623-3417 www.mountainoysterclub.com
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