For artist Kathryn Mapes Turner, the landscape of Jackson Hole is more than a subject. It is the place that taught her how to see.
“I was raised by a place,” Turner says. “The natural world was not simply the landscape around me. It was my teacher, my companion, and an essential part of who I am.”
Turner was born and raised on her family’s century-old Triangle X Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. Her earliest experiences with the natural world—riding the trails, observing wildlife, learning the rhythms of the seasons, and drawing the animals around her—became the foundation of a lifelong artistic practice.
Turner’s latest paintings of the landscapes and wildlife that have shaped her understanding of home are on view September 8–30, 2026 at Turner Fine Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in the solo exhibition titled “The Land That Raised Me.”
The show reflects her deep familiarity with the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, but also a continuing sense of wonder toward it. Mountains, rivers, sagebrush, birds, and wildlife become opportunities not simply to record what Turner sees, but to explore memory, belonging, beauty, and the passage of time.
For Turner, painting begins with paying attention. She studies animal behavior and movement, listens for subtle changes in the landscape, observes the shifting quality of light, and continually deepens her knowledge of the biodiversity and ecosystems around her. It’s a grounding practice. That attentiveness has become central to both her art and her sense of responsibility toward the natural world.
“Each painting becomes a love letter,” Turner says. “I feel a profound need to express my appreciation for the complexities of this landscape, while also deepening my sensitivity to humanity’s impact on nature’s delicate balance.”
After more than thirty years of painting, Turner finds herself increasingly interested in the space between what can be observed and what can never be fully known. Her paintings are rooted in careful observation, yet they are also deeply personal expressions of gratitude and awe.
About the Artist
Kathryn Mapes Turner is a landscape and wildlife painter whose work has grown from a lifelong connection to the mountains and wildlands of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A fourth-generation member of her family to be raised on Triangle X Ranch in Grand Teton National Park, Turner developed an intimate understanding of the natural world from childhood. She holds a BA in Studio Art from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia. Her work has received top honors from the American Impressionist Society and the National Academy of Equine Art and has been featured by institutions and exhibitions including the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Brinton Museum, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, and the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. Turner is also the owner of Turner Fine Art in Jackson, Wyoming, where she has represented her work and that of other artists for more than two decades.
“The Land That Raised Me” runs September 8–30 at Turner Fine Art, with an artist reception on September 11 from 5–8 p.m. as part of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Palettes and Palates gallery tour. The reception is free and open to all.
The editorial above is part of a series that spotlights the work of an accomplished contemporary artist featured in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.
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Story prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Fine Art Today
