As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this week’s “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the artwork below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
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Want to see your gallery featured in an upcoming Virtual Gallery Walk? Contact us at [email protected] to advertise today. Don’t delay, as spaces are first come, first served, and availability is limited.
There is a lot of superb contemporary sculpture and realism being made these days; this article by Brandon Rosas shines light on a gifted individual.
For sculptor Jana Buettner (b. 1997), creativity has been encouraged since childhood. “I remember my mother taking me on trips to source our own pigments from mountains in France, and sculpting with clay we harvested from riverbeds ourselves,” recalls the Austrian-born artist.
A summer job at the Galerie Schloss Wiespach in Hallein brought a teenage Buettner into contact with renowned sculptors Grzegorz Gwiazda, Debasish Bera, and Eudald de Juana Gorriz. Encouraged by de Juana, in 2017 Buettner enrolled in the Florence Academy of Art, where she learned to model the figure in clay with stunning accuracy. Three years later, she graduated with a Sculpture of the Year award and a staff position as a drawing instructor at the academy.
Now fully independent, Buettner divides her time between Florence and Salzburg. Her graceful bronzes capture the human figure with deep empathy and are inspired by stories of people she meets, as well as by the poetry of Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Rainer Marie Rilke, and Hermann Hesse. “I find that poetry is the fastest way to trigger emotions,” Buettner says. “It can paint a clear picture before my very soul.”
Buettner’s sculptural technique is a form of poetry itself: she enjoys simplifying and blending forms to create an aesthetically pleasing representation of reality that is easily understood by the eye. “It’s like reading a book — it’s enough to read the first and last letter of a word, and your brain will know what it means,” says Buettner, adding that she aims to create works that speak to the various ways in which viewers engage with art.
One of Buettner’s recent sculptural poems is “Trapped,” in which a woman has folded herself into a timid yet weightless crouch, one arm wrapped around her ribcage as the other presses against an invisible barrier. “This piece symbolizes the internal walls that we as humans sometimes put up,” Buettner explains. “It is not about being physically trapped, but about what we experience nowadays — a feeling of drowning, or of pushing up against something we want to escape.”
Although Buettner’s work does not shy away from exploring life’s difficulties, it is also hopeful. Even as the upraised hand in “Trapped” indicates a wall, it reaches beyond it, as if in search of another soul — an affirmation of a deeply human belief in our power to understand one another and make each other’s burdens lighter.
Robert C. Jackson (b. 1964) began his career as an electrical engineer with Motorola before deciding on a full-time career as a still life painter. He has enjoyed huge success, with many of his works now owned by museums coast to coast.
When Robert Jackson was approached by a publisher about a book surveying his art and life, “I decided not only to write the whole thing myself,” he says, “but to absolutely inundate readers with images. I wanted a book that is inspirational, revealing, and out-and-out enjoyable. Moreover, I recently hit the big 6-0, so I found myself pondering what I have done, what I am doing, and what I plan to do.”
Robert C. Jackson: It’s a Colorful Life is the handsome result of these cogitations, a “giant labor of love” clocking in at 320 pages. Buyers should visit the artist’s own website to obtain the fastest service, and if they also want to ask him to sign it, they are invited to check that website for his upcoming studio days.
It was a big autumn for Jackson generally: New York City’s Gallery Henoch exhibited his latest works in November, while Boston’s Arden Gallery showed his pieces throughout the month as well.
This is not Jackson’s first book, either. In 2014 he published Behind the Easel, which explores the unique voices of 20 contemporary representational painters.
For more information, please visit robertcjackson.com.
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Beverly Ford Evans Solo Show
Customs House Museum
Clarksville, Tennessee
customshousemuseum.org
Through January 25, 2026
The Customs House Museum is presenting an exhibition of recent wildlife paintings by Tennessee artist Beverly Ford Evans, which she has subtitled “His Mercy Is Over All That He Has Made.”
After a successful career in interior design, Evans was inspired by Tennessee’s beauty to become a fine artist. As a member of the Volunteer State’s Chestnut Group of painters, she has relished capturing its countryside and has broadened her repertoire to encompass animals of various kinds.
She explains, “During my travels, I paint on location and strive to replicate the colors of a scene. I am constantly seeking out the critters, both great and small. Landscapes are beautiful in their own right, but for me, the animals and birds are part of what makes up the whole.”
Evans continues, “We live in a world that was created for us. I am in awe of the beauty, the wonder, the mysteries, and the diversity, not only in the landscape, but the creatures that live among us.”
This show is a key part of a busy season at the museum that also features the Tennessee artists Caney Hummon, Rachael McCampbell, and members of the Portrait Society of America who live in the state.
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While moving house, we worry if our possessions will be transported safely. Our anxiety only grows when it comes to unique items such as fine artworks, heirloom antiques, and family memorabilia — things that cannot be replaced if they get damaged or destroyed.
Fortunately, the past decade has witnessed the blossoming of “fine art logistics,” an industry of professionals who get artworks safely from Point A to Point B. This field’s growth has been stimulated by the global proliferation of auctioneers, galleries, online platforms, fairs, and museum exhibition tours, but individual collectors have also played a role and now stand to benefit from the overall raising of standards.
Only 25 years ago, it was difficult to find a firm that understood the special challenges of moving an artwork across town or across the world; hardly any trucks featured the “air-ride” shock absorbers that prevent paint from chipping off a century-old canvas, or the climate-controlled cargo holds that ensure a wooden sculpture will not dry out and split apart. Now, with a bit of online research and some pointed questions on the phone, collectors residing anywhere in the U.S. can find a suitable firm.
Not surprisingly, today’s best practices in fine art logistics were pioneered in partnership with leading museums. Museum staffers see every object in their collections as precious, and so they literally wear the “white gloves” we all associate with superior service to move artworks around their own facilities. When it comes time to send an artwork offsite (on temporary loan, for example), museums turn to specialist fine art shipping firms. What appears below is the gold standard — the safest (and most expensive) way they do it. Not every privately owned artwork merits all of these steps, of course, and not every collector can afford them. But it’s helpful to learn first what constitutes best practice.
First, the best firms send in some freelance “handlers” to help museum staffers remove the artwork from a wall, pedestal, or storeroom rack. On a flat surface, it is measured and then swaddled in acid-free “archival” packing materials (such as Tyvek, the synthetic sheeting also used in housing construction). Items set to travel by truck within the region are simply “soft-packed” and then braced inside sturdy cardboard boxes. But those going on an airplane, ship, or a truck journey lasting more than two hours require a professional carpenter (back at the firm’s workshop) to construct a wooden crate. This is customized inside with acid-free foam molds, braces, and buffers that will hold the swaddled object firmly in place during the bumpiest of rides.
Once sealed and tagged with a unique bar code for digital tracking purposes, the soft-pack or crate is loaded onto an air-ride, climate-controlled truck headed to its final destination, to an airline’s cargo-processing facility, or to a storage warehouse. The most expensive trucks are “exclusive use,” which means that only your item is on board; less expensive is “shared use,” in which other owners’ items are dropped off before or after yours. (The latter scenario means more, albeit rare, chances for your item to get damaged or even stolen.) At the final destination, the crates must be carried by experienced handlers, and the warehouse (if one is needed) must have suitable temperature, humidity, and security controls.
Of course, it is up to each collector to decide how many of these steps are necessary or affordable, but rest assured the smartest firms stand ready to discuss and customize your plans. Among the leaders in the U.S. are Gander & White, Crozier, Uovo, Lockson, Fine Art Shippers, Arrow Express, Renwick, ARTA, and Aiston. Uline is America’s leading distributor of packaging and shipping materials for those who want to prepare the item themselves before the truck arrives to take it away. If your artwork is traveling abroad, your U.S. firm may split the journey with a partner over there; in Britain, for example, one of the leading shippers is Momart, and in France, LP Art.
In all matters logistical, better safe than sorry.
Information: aiston.com, arrowexpress.com, crozierfinearts.com, fineartshippers.com, ganderandwhite.com, locksoninc.com, renwickfas.com, shiparta.com, uline.com, uovo.art
Oil Painters of America is mounting its Virtuosos of the OPA Exhibition of Traditional Oils at Ballard’s Fine Art Gallery in Sheridan, Wyoming, now through December 19, 2025.
On view are more than 50 paintings created by Master Signature and Signature members of this national nonprofit organization. During the opening reception, awards judge (and leading OPA member) Daniel Keys bestowed eight honors.
“We’re thankful they will show here and open the doors for more shows in the future,” says the Gallery. “This particular show brings in so many options for collecting various painting styles from artists we don’t carry in the gallery. It will be a show that you won’t want to miss!”
Gold Medal: John Michael Carter, “Woodland Rapids”
Silver Medal: Carolyn Jeanene Lindsey, “The Empty Chair”
Bronze Medal: Diane Frossard, “The Broodmares”
President’s Award of Excellence: Mark Shasha, “California Color”
Awards of Excellence:
Julie Davis, “Tethered to the Land”
John Taft, “Day Awakening”
Blair Atherholt, “Drift”
Jeff Legg, “Copper and Turnips”
John Budicin, “November Morn”
James E. Tennison, “Raspberry Swirl”
For more details about the show, please visit www.oilpaintersofamerica.com.
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The Pearce Museum at Navarro College is hosting the 40th Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale mounted by the nonprofit organization American Plains Artists (APA). On view are approximately 110 two- and three-dimensional representational works depicting the Great Plains region — its landscapes, wildlife, people, and ways of life in both historical and modern times. The participating artists come from throughout the U.S. and several other countries.
At a Glance:
American Plains Artists 40th Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale
Pearce Museum at Navarro College
Corsicana, Texas
americanplainsartists.com
through January 5, 2026
The American Plains Artists or APA was first organized in 1982 as a small group of artists who banded together to highlight through their art, the variety to be found in the vast region known as the American Plains.
As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this week’s “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the artwork below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
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Want to see your gallery featured in an upcoming Virtual Gallery Walk? Contact us at [email protected] to advertise today. Don’t delay, as spaces are first come, first served, and availability is limited.
By David Masello
Sarah Bracey White recognizes the natural beauty of cotton fields while acknowledging the complicated history they represent. As a Black girl growing up in Sumter, South Carolina, during the latter years of Jim Crow, she was well aware of the cotton fields that spread beyond the town’s boundaries.
Her mother, who taught in segregated public schools, often needed extra money to raise her five children. “After school, my two older sisters would sometimes pick cotton to make money for my mother,” says White, a noted memoirist, arts consultant, and former librarian who now lives in New York’s Westchester County. “When I was old enough to do so, my mother said, ‘No, you’re not picking cotton.’ Because I’m familiar with cotton fields, the moment I saw this painting, I was struck.”
White and her husband were touring an exhibition of Winslow Homer’s works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art years ago when she came upon “The Cotton Pickers.”
“I told the tour guide that I would trade my husband for the picture,” she says with humor, and within earshot of her husband in their apartment on the Hudson River.
So determined was he to please White and find a reproduction of this painting that he headed immediately to the museum’s gift shop, but to no avail. “My husband is dogged, and, periodically, he would look to see if the work had entered the public domain. About two years ago, he exclaimed to me with great excitement, ‘I’m about to get you a copy of The Cotton Pickers.’” That framed work now hangs on a prominent wall in White’s home, where she sees it daily from her dining table.
While her version is smaller than the real one in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, she says, “I feel an ongoing poignancy when I look at the scene. It’s my company. And so are the women in it.”
As she wrote in her memoir, Primary Lessons, White was determined to leave the South as fast, and as early, as she could. After attending college in Baltimore and eventually moving further into the Northeast, it wasn’t until about 20 years later that she returned to South Carolina. She recalls getting out of her car and walking into a cotton field to feel the blossoms.
Although Homer’s painting was completed in 1876, during Reconstruction, White emphasizes that Black people continued to pick cotton after the Civil War; they were no longer enslaved, yet the harshness of their labor remained unchanged. Homer was an especially sympathetic portrayer of Black Americans, during and after the war. White notes, “I’ve seen other paintings of cotton pickers by other painters, but those figures are always haggard and angry and old. This is the first time I saw a depiction with two young girls, who were not haggard but, rather, deep in thought.”
Over the years she has been living with the reproduction of Homer’s scene, White has continued to build a narrative about the two figures. “As a woman of color, I am particularly aware of their skin color, which is very realistic. These are not Black African girls — they have some white heritage, and Homer is faithful to that whole concept in how he paints their skin color.”
As she looks closer, White observes, “The woman on the right is staring off into the distance, not looking back, but looking ahead. She’s contemplating leaving the cotton fields.” White points to the sack this figure carries, akin to those slung over hobos’ shoulders, suggesting she will soon embark on a new, far freer life. “The other girl is looking down, and I sense that she might have a family and can’t leave. I was determined to leave the South, and while I still have a fondness for it, I’m glad I had the courage to leave. I felt the need to go. I see myself in the girl about to leave — her spirit is my spirit.”
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Please help us congratulate Ned Mueller for winning Overall First Place in the October 2025 PleinAir Salon, judged by Elaine Adams, Director of American Legacy Fine Arts.
“First Place is awarded to this painting for its luscious color palette and rich gradations of greens and blues that beautifully illuminate the water,” Elaine said. “The composition and perspective are both fascinating and expertly arranged, drawing the viewer naturally into the scene. Additionally, the anatomy and scale of the lone fisherman are rendered with exceptional accuracy, enhancing the painting’s overall harmony and narrative strength.”
About the Artist:
Born in Wisconsin and raised in Montana, Ned Mueller has been drawing and painting all of his life. He is one of the few artists that have been designated as a “Master Artist” by both the American Impressionist Society and the Oil Painters of America. He graduated from the prestigious Art Center School of Design in Los Angeles where he also taught drawing while still a student. His love for life and art is reflected in his superb paintings of a wide range of subjects including portraits, figures, animals, and landscapes, both studio and plein air.
Ned worked as an illustrator for 25 years while building a solid foundation of professionalism and has worked as a successful full time artist since 1984. He continued to enhance his knowledge and skills by taking workshops with master artists Harley Brown, Richard Schmid, Bettina Steinke, Del Gish, and Sergei Bongart. He is called upon to jury shows, and is a popular and enthusiastic workshop teacher around the country and abroad. He was a consultant for Walt Disney Imagineering where he did wonderful concept work for Animal Kingdom, Tokyo Disney Sea, California, and other projects.
He is a signature member of The Plein Air Painters of America, Portrait Society of America, The California Art Club, The Northwest Watercolor Society, Northwest Pastel Society (Distinguished Pastelist), Northwest Rendezvous Society, Laguna Plein Air Painters, Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters, and the American Society of Marine Artists.
At the October 2025 Laguna Plein Air Exhibition he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions, his work and teaching in the the Art world.
He has exhibited his work in some of the finest shows and galleries in the country and has won numerous awards. He has been invited to participate in the Great American Artist Show, Artists of America Show, Plein Air Painters of America, Oil Painters of America, National Academy of Western Art, Knickerbocker Show, The Northwest Rendezvous Group, The California Art Club, The Salmagundi Club, Puget Sound Group of Northwest Artists, Pastel Society of America, American Society of Marine Artists, and the Autry Western Masters Show. Ned has had two exhibitions and put together two group exhibitions at the Frye Art Museum and gave a demonstration and workshop at the Seattle Art Museum. He continues to challenge and improve his work on location and in the studio.
In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The PleinAir® Salon rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.
Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.
The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.
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