Vhay lets go, sees red; Cristy spins yarns at NMWA; Art Fair

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

By Susan Burkitt

Perhaps you do learn everything you need to know in kindergarten, or at least by the age of 10. That’s when local painter and Trio Fine Art co-owner September Vhay first started drawing horses.

For years during her childhood on a ranch near Carson City, Nev., Vhay watched family friend and renowned Nevada landscape artist J. Craig Sheppard paint – an experience she described as “magical.”

Vhay’s new one-woman show, “Transitions” – which opens today with a reception 5-8 p.m. at the gallery – touches on those early inspirations along with the more recent enthusiasm of fellow gallery owner and artist Lee Riddell for Vhay’s sketch of a Deborah Butterfield horse sculpture on display at a Seattle hospital.

The new horse images in the show, 11 in all, are in vibrant red, using a loose brush stroke and painted without reference material. For Vhay, who started working in the color red as part of a an annual Christmas card project for Crane Creek, red represents luxury, a strong spirit and pure fun. The horse paintings are an indulgence in time and color, she said.

“Transitions” will highlight the artist’s new, looser approach to her painting, but will also include Vhay’s watercolors and charcoal drawings of ravens, hummingbirds and horses. Known for her wildlife watercolors, Vhay describes the process of watercolor painting as “a balance of careful planning, jumping in and then knowing when to let go.” The new paintings appear to demonstrate she has done just that.

Five of the horse paintings will be available as limited-edition, signed and numbered giclee prints, a process which involves high-resolution digital scans printed onto fine art paper, or even canvas, using archival quality inks and 8- and 12-color ink-jet printers.
Vhay will hold a conversation about her new work and the artistic process  5-6 p.m. with the reception following.  Reservations are requested for the event. You can contact Trio Fine Art at 734-4444. The gallery is located at 545 N. Cache Street and is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Telling a good story that is truly entertaining can be difficult enough, but spinning a yarn is an art form. Raphael Cristy takes on that challenge in a one-man show, “Charlie Russell’s Yarns,” this Saturday at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Cristy will offer two shows: one designed especially for younger kids at 1 p.m., and an all-ages show at 7 p.m.

Having performed his storytelling since 1976 throughout the nation, in Canada and in Australia, Cristy tells the tales of renowned Montana painter and sculptor Charles M. Russell (1864-1926). A shy man among strangers, Russell told exciting and hilarious stories among friends that touched on social issues and imparted Old West wisdom. Besides his acclaim as a painter, Russell is still a popular folk hero in Montana and throughout the cowboy West.

Some yarns were written down by Russell during his lifetime, said Cristy, and others he researched and tracked down through old newspapers and interviews. Cristy, who holds a masters in history and a Ph.D. in American history, performs the stories in what he termed “rural slang.” A slideshow of Russell’s paintings and illustrated letters, selected by Cristy, accompany Russell’s words and give a sense of the rough Montana cowboy who could paint the Old West.

Russell’s paintings are a frozen moment from his stories, Cristy said. “His art was based on the narrative.”

The Montana Historical Society described Cristy’s performance as having held the audience “spellbound.” A Los Angeles Times review of Cristy’s first professional performance in Will Rogers State Park in 1985 stated that he “vividly [brought] to life the people and scenes of Montana when Helena was simply Last Chance Gulch.”
Held in conjunction with the museum’s exhibit “Remington and Russell Revisited,” the shows on Saturday at NMWA will be free for children under 18 and for museum members and $7 for non-members.  Call the museum at 732-5438 for more information.

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Art Fair Jackson Hole 2007 opens again this Friday at Miller Park in downtown Jackson with “Art in the Evening,” featuring live music by One Ton Pig 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the nonprofit Art Association, this second part of the two-part summer fair will be open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday.

Featuring 170 local, regional and national artists whose artwork ranges from handcrafted jewelry to fine art paintings, the Art Fair provides an opportunity to talk to the personalities behind the art, as all artists will be present at their booths.
Entry fee is $2 for the Art Fair, but there’s no charge for the live music, kids activities and other fun on the outskirts of the fair. Also returning is the food court. For more, call the Art Association at 733-6379 or visit www.ArtAssociation.org.

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In other art news, Ciao Gallery in Victor, Idaho, will feature two photographers in a new show opening today with an artist’s reception 6-9 p.m. Nicole Welch uses photos taken with a classic Kodak brownie camera and cut-up transparencies of 35mm film to create collages and images. Catherine Coe has a more traditional approach, capturing landscapes and scenes of village life from her travels through Central America. Tonight’s reception will include music by Brad Sterling, performing music from his solo acoustic project, as well as hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Contact Ciao Gallery at (208) 787-4841 or drop by the reception at 145 N. Main St.

Astoria Fine Art, on the north side of the Town Square, features Tom Palmore and William Shepherd in a two-man show today through Aug. 31. The show is the last in the gallery’s summer series, and a reception for the artists will be held 5-8 p.m. on Saturday.

Palmore brings witty personification to his ultra-realist wildlife paintings. His work hangs at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, but this is his first major show in Jackson Hole. Shepherd, originally from Casper, Wyo., and now living in New Mexico, is a well-known still-life painter with artwork hanging in the Hirschorn Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, N.M, among other institutions. Contact the gallery at 733-4016 or stop by at 35 E. Deloney Ave.

Finally, at 6 p.m. tonight in the Center for the Arts, the Art Association hosts Leo Marmol, principal at Marmol Radziner + Associates, to discuss the designing and prefabrication of the L.A.-based firm’s modern, green prefab homes. Marmol will explain the different types of prefab homes and the ecological benefits of prefabrication.

Marmol Radziner + Associates is an award-winning architecture and construction design-build firm. Projects have ranged from high-end residential architecture for clients such as Tom Ford, former creative director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, to community-related civic buildings, including The Accelerated School, as well as award-winning historic restorations such as Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House in Palm Springs.

In 2005 the firm launched Marmol Radziner Prefab, an extension of the firm dedicated to creating sustainable, modern steel-frame homes built in its own factory and delivered complete. Tonight’s presentation is free, but interested parties are asked to RSVP to coralie@socialblueprint.com.

“Horse Five,” 5 x 7 inches, September Vhay.

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Vhay lets go, sees red; Cristy spins yarns at NMWA; Art Fair | Planet JH News Article: Arts Beat

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