Collectors will immediately recognize the names featured in Legacy Gallery’s upcoming Forever West exhibition—they’re some of the best and brightest in Western art today. Among those featured in the show are John Moyers, Terri Kelly Moyers, Bill Anton, Jason Rich, Jeremy Winborg, Kyle Polzin, G. Russell Case, Rachel Brownlee, Martin Grelle and Chad Poppleton. From portraits of cowboys and Native Americans, to horseback riders and sprawling deserts, this exhibition features a wide range of subjects that capture the richness of the West.
Jeremy Winborg, Blood is Thicker than Water, oil, 30 x 30 in.Brownlee’s charcoal Shade in the Desert, an intimate scene of horses standing on a hill’s edge, is the largest piece the artist has ever completed, measuring 4 by 6 feet. “There are no native trees to the Nebraska Sandhills, and the hills are so smooth that there is almost no native shade. In the absence of shade, horses and cows often just stand on the edge of a hill, shading each other, trying to catch a breeze, and sharing tails to swat flies in the heat. It shows the unique landscape of my home and the unique adaptations animals have made to live here,” Brownlee says of the piece. “No herd is the same as another. Each animal has a place in the herd and their own personality. That lends to a diverse family group as recognizable as a human family. This piece shows the loving care of a family of horses.”
Rachel Brownlee, Shade in the Desert, charcoal on panel, 48 x 72 in.Having lived in mountain lion country for many years, Anton has incorporated the magnificent beasts into a number of his oil paintings. “Usually they are so skittish as to be unapproachable—even invisible! Other times, I’ve seen them calmly walk through our property in broad daylight completely unconcerned,” says Anton. “The title here, Undetected, has a two-fold meaning. It’s common for a lion to remain unseen and hidden from people even when they are in close proximity, but horses will always react to a lion’s scent. So I have the pack horse’s tail blowing a certain direction indicating they are upwind of the lion, at least at the moment. He sees them, watches them, but has no stalking in mind. It might be a stretch, but I wouldn’t rule out such an encounter, especially at night.”
Rachel Brownlee, Corral Dust, sepia charcoal on panel, 24 x 24 in.
John Moyers, Only the Sound of Horses, oil, 40 x 40 in.
Polzin, a still life painter, says, “One of the pieces I’m most excited about in this show is a major saddle painting I’m currently working on.” Inspired by the work of the Dutch Masters, this painting marks an evolution in Polzin’s approach to composition. “Unlike my typical work, this piece incorporates both a foreground and background subject—with the saddle placed deeper in the scene—to create a stronger sense of depth. I’m really looking forward to debuting this technique at the Forever West show,” he adds.
Bill Anton, Undetected, oil on linen, 40 x 40 in.
Jeremy Winborg, Desert Pursuit, oil, 22 x 22 in.
Winborg likes to view his artwork as a snapshot in time. His new painting, Blood is Thicker than Water, portrays sisters in traditional regalia. “I was able to travel to the Crow Reservation in Montana to spend some time with this wonderful Crow family,” he says. “I feel like you can tell in this snapshot that these sisters have each others’ backs, they mean the world to each other, and that they stand united through whatever comes their way.”
Forever West opens with a reception on August 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition will hang through August 17 at Legacy Gallery in Santa Fe. —
Legacy Gallery 225 Canyon Road » Santa Fe, NM 87501 » (505) 986-9833 » www.legacygallery.com
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