The Brinton Museum is bringing award-winning and renowned Western artists to the annual Bighorn Rendezvousshowcase and auction, now in its 10th year in Big Horn, Wyoming. This year, the public will see 16 artists featuring more than 40 works of art. Attendees can expect a similar schedule to past years, including a brunch, family-fun programming, a quickdraw event and the art auction.
Charlie Hunter, Sinclair, oil on panel, 20 x 10 in.
“This event draws fine art collectors from the region to meet and talk with accomplished artists of merit, and enjoy a day of all-things art at an outstanding world-class museum,” says Barbara McNab, curator of events. “Art mediums represented, for the most part, stay within two-dimensional media, with some exceptions being artists who work in bronze.”
While artworks will be on display in the museum’s Jacomien Mars Reception Gallery beginning July 26, programming will be held on the final day, August 23. “The quickdraw begins at 9 a.m. and runs through noon, offering visitors a chance to meet the artists, explore the historic Quarter Circle A Ranch and experience the creative process in action,” McNab explains. “The art auction will follow immediately afterward.”
Jake Gaedtke, Autumn Resplendent, oil on linen, 16 x 20 in.
Returning artist landscape painter Jake Gaedtke, will stun collectors with pieces like Autumn Resplendent. “The location of the painting is at a place called Pella Crossing located in Hygiene, Colorado,” says the artist. “This was only a few miles from my home when I lived in Colorado, out in the middle of horse country in Boulder County. It was a favorite location of mine to paint. It was so dependable to always find something there. It’s a very peaceful place with many ponds, trees and the mountains in the background. The fall season was exceptionally beautiful there because of all the cottonwood and aspen trees surrounding the ponds. It’s very irresistible. I’ve been missing Colorado recently and painting this gave me the experience of reliving being there again.”
Julie Oriet, Evening Glory, pastel, 5½ x 3½ in.
Charlie Hunter, new to the event, is drawn to severe landscapes and what remains of family farming and small-town America, “after the great hollowing-out of the past 50 years,” he says. “I want the images I create to reside in the space somewhere between an old photograph and a memory…”
For the artwork Sinclair,an oil painting of an old Sinclair gas pump, the artist shares, “I taught myself to read by learning the names of gas stations. My dad was a printer, and my mom delivered the finished print jobs to his customers in a 1964 Valiant station wagon that would stall if the distributor cap got wet. I remember being stalled out one time after we went through a big puddle, and really staring at the local Sinclair gas station. Who doesn’t love a big, green dinosaur?”
Anton Nowels, Casper to Sheridan, oil, 22 x 22 in.
He continues, “The man who ran the gas station was a big grump, but his gas pumps were beautiful. When I was a kid and the world got me down, I always felt very soothed if I made a model car kit. In my adulthood, painting a gas pump does much the same thing. Looking at a worn Tokheim or Gilbarco pump, my mind just loves thinking about the slow spread of grit and grime and rust over what were, at one time, pristine surfaces…”
For additional information and details, head to the Brinton Museum website. Don’t miss the opportunity to grab a piece of artwork and witness artists in action. —
Bighorn Rendezvous
July 26-August 23, 2025
The Brinton Museum
239 Brinton Road Big Horn, WY 82833, (307) 672-3173
www.thebrintonmuseum.org/event/bighorn-rendezvous-x-exhibition/
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