Jackson Hole Art

Jackson Hole Art Scene Suits Every Artistic Taste

The history of Jackson Hole art mirrors the history of human settlement in the valley: A few hearty pioneers led the way, followed by some daring homesteaders who cut a channel for the mainstream, which eventually swelled into a thriving and varied economy.

In the case of Jackson Hole arts, pioneers in the greater Yellowstone area included well-known names like Carl Rungius, the first great wildlife artist in America, photographer William Henry Jackson and watercolorist Thomas Moran, who never made it to Jackson Hole but whose name was given to Grand Teton National Park’s eminently paintable Mount Moran.

These and other intrepid visionaries visited the Jackson Hole wilds – their paint boxes and brushes, their canvasses and papers, their heavy glass photographic plates and bulky cameras strapped on the backs of uncomplaining pack horses – to capture and show to the rest of the world the stern and rugged beauty of the heart of the Rockies.

The next wave of artists – Conrad Schwiering, John Clymer, Archie Teater – came to western Wyoming and actually stuck around, painting and living here. In the mid 1940s, Schwiering opened the first Jackson Hole art gallery in the lobby of the Wort Hotel. Others cobbled together a life here that included painting to one degree or another, such as Tiny Hagen and naturalist Olaus Murie.

The 1960s saw the opening of Trailside Gallery, Jim Wilcox’s gallery on the Town Square, and Boyer’s Indian Arts and Crafts. The pace picked up in the ’70s and ’80s for Jackson Hole art, and the creation of the Fall Arts Festival – marking its 18th year this September 6 to 16 – really gave the arts a boost in Jackson Hole.

Today there are about 40 Jackson Hole art galleries, catering to what gallery directors agree is a market that is growing more varied – and more savvy.

“I find that a lot of the collectors now are younger,” one director said. “People even with children are collecting art, and people are becoming familiar with the famous painters and sculptures.” The number of noteworthy, marketable artists is growing, too, he added. “There are a lot of rising stars out there, a lot more artwork, and lots of paintings and sculptors that are less expensive.”

Buyers are even picking up works by artists they are not familiar with, buying art based on what they like, what jumps out at them, what suits their tastes rather than the name on the painting or the potential investment value.

With a mix of well-established artists, up-and-coming young lions and talented unknowns, and a wide range of styles and subjects, Jackson Hole art galleries are right in step with these trends.

The bread and butter of the Jackson Hole art market is representation art with a western theme. That includes historical western scenes, depictions of Native American and cowboy life, Rocky Mountain landscapes and wildlife art. Such work can be found at West Lives On Gallery, Horizon Fine Arts and Jack Dennis’ Wyoming Gallery, the last of which has been carving out a niche as specialists in angling and trout art.

More and more, however, western art is coming to absorb the techniques and influences of modernism – splashy brushstrokes, bold colors, and a proclivity toward abstraction. Larry Pirnie is an excellent example. This Montana painter represented by West Lives On renders poppy cowboy iconography of his childhood dreams in the energetic, neon-bright lines of a Pratt Institute graduate. His Racin’ for the Red-Eye Special had just the right balance of tradition and modernity for the panel of judges who selected the official Fall Arts Festival poster image in 2001.

Center Street Gallery specializes in this kind of contemporary western art, representing artists like Marshall Noice – another past FAF poster artist – watercolorist Sari Staggs and Malcolm Furlow, who for more than 20 years has been breaking trail for a Fauvist revival. Noice paints brilliant landscapes in colors most people can’t even imagine, much less see in the real world. Staggs’ huge blow-ups of Native American faces and floral arrangements are bold and graphic but also utterly within the traditions of western art. And Furlow’s portraits and wildlife paintings are deceptively simple, with their subject framed front and center on the canvas, but their wild colors and frenetic brushstrokes suggest movement and evoke subtle, unexpected emotions.

A growing segment of the Jackson Hole art gallery market features western memorabilia and artifacts. A number of antique stores and galleries specialize in high-quality, authentic Native American craftwork as well as the trapping icons and symbols of the cowboy life. Cayuse Western Americana, for example, is home to a huge collection of textiles, buckles, prints and beadwork, including a large number of items featuring historic Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. Fighting Bear Antiques deals in authentic Mission and Molesworth furniture, early Navajo rugs, Native beadwork and western Americana. Two Grey Hills supports today’s contemporary native artisans by selling the finest pottery, rugs, baskets and jewelry available.

And while we’re on the subject of jewelry, there’s plenty of tiny artwork – fit for a finger, neck or earlobe – to be found in Jackson Hole, too. JC Jewelers crafts Teton-inspired pieces in gold, silver and platinum; Hines Goldsmith carries its own “Teton Collection” as well as more classic works with some stunning gemstones; and Wild Hands features affordable, often whimsical works by local and regional artisans, as well as plates, soaps and decorations for the home.

The pioneers may not have had time for such whimsy, but thank goodness we habitants of modern Jackson Hole do. //