Gottfried debut; encaustic celebration; new Nieto

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

By Kate Balog

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-David Gottfried has made quite an impact on our art community since moving to Jackson from Brooklyn a few years ago. He began teaching at the Art Association with Tom Woodhouse and is largely responsible for establishing the Art Association’s long-awaited printmaking program by donating money for a state-of-the-art press. In the meantime, he has produced his own work, which will be displayed for the first time at Teton Art Lab. Surprisingly, at mid-life, he is new to the field. In Brooklyn, Gottfried traded stocks and played jazz guitar. His wife is an established jazz singer who has performed at the Center Theater.

Teton Art Lab owner Travis Walker said, “David’s work is lyrical, intuitive, experimental and fresh to look at. He has a vast understanding of art history and has been influenced by Paul Klee and modern German artists.” His work is abstract and non-representational and interprets a variety of subjects including architecture, music and the natural world in bold, geometric patterns. The preciseness of his lines could be attributed to his childhood backdrop of science (his father was a famous physicist). This artist just gets more and more interesting.

Gottfried’s show opens 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Teton Art Lab, 135 N. Cache #5, across from Teton Theatre north of town square. Please call the gallery at 699-0836 for more information.  
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Shawna Moore became enamored with the ancient encaustic method after years working with less sculptural media - specifically, painting and drawing. She was formally trained in fine arts and architecture. Moore begins her encaustic process with a paper and board and then thoughtfully layers pigmented beeswax into a complex, textured story.  The wax can be reworked when heated, and as each layer cools, another can be applied. A sense of spiritually filters through her
restrained palette.

“Compressed into the layers of melted wax are my insights, failings, breath and actions,” she said. “Embodied in each panel are general truths about the how I conduct my life.” Moore visits us from Whitefish, Mont., and last weekend conducted an encaustic workshop at the Art Association. Join DJ The Howler and Moore at March’s First Friday Event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, 150 S Jackson. Reach the gallery at 734-0649.

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World-renowned artist John Nieto returns to Jackson with a new collection in  artist focus exhibition. Nieto is known for his electric-hued wildlife and renditions of Native American potters, warriors, silversmiths and shamans. But he distinguishes himself as “an American artist who paints Indians, not an Indian artist.”
Nieto’s latest pieces are a bit different and include many American icons such as Miles Davis and Chuck Berry. He paints in brilliant, unexpected combinations of colors in broad strokes.

“I’m in a trance when I paint,” he said. “It’s like being a drummer - you don’t look at the drums, you just know intuitively where they are.”  Nieto’s work reflects his upbringing from Hispanic and Indian-born parents and seems to be partially influenced by European expressionists. In 1981, he participated by invitation in the “Salon d’Autumn” at the Grand Palais, and in 2002, three of his pieces were chosen to adorn the Olympic Power suite at the Salt Lake Winter Olympic games.

His work is also represented in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
Nieto’s new pieces will remain on display through March 13th at Mountain Trails Gallery, 150 Center Street. Call the gallery at 734-8150 for more information.

Courtesy David Gottfried
“Totem No.1” by David Gottfried, Ink Drawing.

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Gottfried debut; encaustic celebration; new Nieto | Planet JH News Article: Arts Beat

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