“Sun-Kissed”
26 x 26 in.
Oil on canvas
$4200.00 retail
Available through the 2017 Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale Live Auction Event www.buffalobillartshow.net
Artwork Statement for “Sun Kissed”:
The sun gets hot in south-central Montana, and feathered fans are common in the regalia of the annual Crow Fair Parade. The tightly-woven feathers of this Crow woman’s fan provide shade for her eyes, but still allow the rays to kiss her cheek as the imaginary sun behind her warms up the swirling skies.
Oil painter Terry Cooke Hall is inspired by, and in awe of, the women she paints who are primarily those she photographs, and often meets, at an annual event in south-central Montana. These women carry on the centuries-old traditions of the Native Americans from the Plains and Northwestern U.S. tribes. Her depictions of the regalia worn by both the women and their horses are not historical, but are her own interpretations of the patterns and colors of the tribes. This is her way of honoring their traditions without copying their generational customs.
Her figures in realism are set in an imaginary world of colorful winds or swirling skies, often backlit by an abstraction of the sun or moon. Her approach blends color, patterns, and textural elements, providing a unique contemporary twist. Her “imaginative realism” style is a look at her West viewed through the lens of 30 years of work in design and illustration.
Terry’s influence comes from trips throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California in the family station wagon, a big part of Terry’s childhood, forming strong memories of the Southwest in the 60s. During the mid-70s, Terry’s passion for art led her to numerous classes, workshops, and university extension courses in graphic design and illustration, including studies of the works of the Golden Age illustrators, a heavy influence on her current style. In 1978, she put her training into use by illustrating for land development firms in Southern California. After 15 years of the left-brain world of architects and engineers, Terry left her job and co-founded a commercial art business in San Diego County.
Since 2006, Terry has focused exclusively on developing a fine art career that has strong roots in California Impressionism. She has studied under nationally-known artists with an intense focus on foundational principles of fine art and impressionistic light and color.
Terry lives in Bozeman, Montana, and participates in several national shows annually, adding several awards through participation in those shows. Her current list of galleries include Tierney Fine Art, Bozeman MT; Mountain Trails Galleries, Jackson WY & Park City UT; Mountain Trails Gallery Sedona, Sedona AZ; Lovetts Gallery of Fine Art, Tulsa OK; & Dick Idol Signature Gallery, Whitefish MT.
View more of Terry’s work at terrycookehall.com
