Gallery Wild | January 2-12, 2026 | Jackson Hole, WY

Endlessly Reimagined

By Alyssa M. Tidwell

At the beginning of the new year, Gallery Wild will be hosting a solo show featuring new works by Aaron Hazel. Collectors familiar with Hazel’s work will instantly recognize the artist’s signature style of thick, patterned brushstrokes that blend harmoniously when viewed at a distance. Viewed up close, they contain even more intrigue—particularly evident in pieces like Piegan Bird Rattle and Pepper.

Piegan Bird Rattle, oil on canvas, 48 x 36 in.

“Aaron Hazel’s latest collection is a bold, refreshing lens on the legacy of the American West. His work captures the timeless icons—bison on the move, cowboys and cowgirls, the early days of skiing at Snow King or the Tetons—with a sleek, contemporary edge that feels both nostalgic and new,” says gallery owner Carrie Wild. “Hazel has a remarkable ability to bridge eras; his brushwork and palette pulse with modern energy, yet his subjects honor the heritage and grit that define Western history.”

Oakley, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 in.

Hazel, who describes his work as a mix of impressionism, realism and pixel art, says that moments of Western nostalgia are frequently top of mind in his work. “Growing up in the West, Boise, Idaho, specifically, I seek to capture the moments in time that feel both familiar, yet complex. An ongoing investigation into the tropes of the Old West while also keying in on the forgotten elements behind them.”

Pepper, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in.

“Through Hazel’s graphic paintings we see the West as both memory and momentum; a place where stories endure, evolve and invite us to look closer. This solo exhibition captures Gallery Wild’s core message, which speaks to the West as both a place and an idea: ever-changing, yet deeply rooted in authenticity and adventure,” Wild says. “This collection reminds us that while the stories of the West are timeless, how we tell them can be endlessly reimagined.”

The exhibition opens with an artist reception on Friday, January 2, from 5 to 8 p.m., and hangs through January 12. Twenty new works will be on display. —