A new exhibition on view through the end of 2025 at Western Spirit: Scottdale’s Museum of the West was curated around the theme of color across a large swath of Western art spanning from 1885 to 2017. Featuring 60 works, the show, titled A Fistful of Colors, taps into the idea of “harnessing the rainbow” inherent in the Western landscape’s varied vistas, terrains and skies.
Kenneth Riley (1919-2015), Reflections, 1999, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in.
“The American West is awash in colors,” says Western Spirit curator Andrew P. Nelson. “It’s a land of red rocks and blue waters, white sands and black hills, green forests and orange sunsets, purple mountains and painted deserts. The goal of the show is to explore how these colorful landscapes (and the equally colorful people who live in them) have inspired generations of Western artists. Guests will learn how artists use color in different ways. Even though colors are all around us, our individual experiences and feelings can change how we see them. No two artists will paint the same scene the same way. By looking closely at the colors artists use we can start to see the West through their eyes.”
George Phippen (1915-1966), Evening Stage, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in.
Among the featured works, which includes a wide range of media, is Evening Stage by George Phippen (1915-1966). Phippen employed warm, earthy hues to depict the traditional, dusty stagecoach scene, the shadows heightened by the pastel-colored light of sunset illuminating the rock formation looming above.
Paul Pletka, Danza Mitote, Los Huicholes, 2005, acrylic on linen, 60 x 96 in.
At 60 by 96 inches, Danza Mitote, Los Huicholes, 2005, by Paul Pletka, is the largest and one of the most colorful works in the show. The piece depicts a religious festival of the Huichols, a tribe living in Mexico’s Sierra Madres Mountains that uphold their pre-Columbian traditions. “Its vivid, evocative colors and attention to detail reflect the cultural vibrancy of the scene,” says Nelson. In contrast, Reflections, a 1999 oil by Kenneth Riley, employs a deeply saturated monochromatic red to underscore the intensity of his dramatic portrait of an Indigenous warrior from the Northern Plains.
El Dorado, 1966, Polish poster, 33 x 23 in.
Also included in the exhibit is a comparison of American and Polish posters for Western movies. Nelson notes how the bold colors and playful design seen in the Polish poster for the John Wayne classic El Dorado contrasts with the naturalistic color and style of the American poster.
“We really believe that, in this show, the sum is greater than the parts,” says Nelson. “Using color as a theme, we’re able to provide a broad view of the evolving artist interpretations of the American West by 29 different artists across a range of styles and media. From the sun-drenched tones of impressionist paintings and the vibrant Technicolor of classic film to the stark contrasts of black-and-white photography, and the dazzling silver and gemstones of indigenous jewelry, we see the rich palette of styles and traditions that have colored our perceptions of the West.” —
Ramona, 1936, American poster, 63 x 43½ in.
A Fistful of Colors
Through December 14, 2025
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
3830 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, (480) 686-9539, www.westernspirit.org
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