Snow and Lightning
Oil on panel
12 x 16 x 1 in.
$1425
Available through Gallery D’May. The piece will be included with several large and small works in oil and pastel in a show of the artist’s work starting on July 24th.

John Davis Held grew up hiking and camping along the Hudson River Valley, often pitching his floorless tent over two feet of snow in the harsh New York winters.

“It was beautiful. We liked it when there was snow, as it made for a soft bed,” he states. “It was not uncommon, though, to see my friends and I perched on rocks in the middle of our campfire the next morning trying to thaw our feet out. Sometimes the soles of our hiking boots would catch on fire, and we’d have to stamp the flames out in the snow.”

Snow and Lightning was inspired by these memorable expeditions. “I loved the outdoors, I loved making art, and I fell in love with the Hudson River School of Art during those years. Much of the philosophy of these artists is needed now more than ever, with their focus on our ability to live in harmony with nature, and the spirituality of the outdoors.”

Galleries
Gallery D’May Fine Art
401 Washington St, Cape May, NJ 08204
Phone: (609) 884-4465

The Troika Gallery
9 S Harrison St # 1, Easton, MD 21601
Phone: (410) 770-9190

New Canaan Gallery
33 East Ave, New Canaan, CT 06840
Phone: (203) 966-8483

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the artist, whether you are a collector, a gallery, or just like his art! And if you’d like to see more, take a look at his website, consider signing up for his newsletter, or follow him on Facebook and Instagram. He loves sharing his peaceful and beautiful work. And you can always get in touch with him at (410) 842-7012, or email him at [email protected].

Future of the Herd
Oil on Hardboard
12 x 24 in.
Available through Dick Idol Gallery in White Fish, Montana

I was born and raised on a dairy farm, in my opinion there is no better way to grow up.

I was also my Dad’s right hand “man” and wherever he went, I went. One of my favorite things to do was help him with the irrigation of the alfalfa fields. Many hours were spent finding snakes and frogs and while doing so I was watched intently by the beef cows that were feeding in the fields next to ours.

Springtime was my favorite time of year because it meant the calves would start showing up and they were naturally very curious about what we were doing. I loved watching them watch us!

This painting Future of the Herd is the result of those memories and wonderful times with my Dad captured on canvas.

Kathryn Ashcroft was born in a small, Northern Utah farming town in 1961. She was raised on the family dairy farm where animals were fed before people were and a strong work ethic was instilled in her at a very young age. Many hours were spent on the back of a horse and riding was her favorite pass time. Her Mother, also an artist, created beautiful paintings in oil and this was a great source of inspiration. Kathryn began drawing animals very early and was encouraged and taught by her Mother and by Nature.

Kathryn began working in oils in 2004. Striving to convey the essence of the animal, as opposed to a detailed depiction, she uses a loose, painterly style. The result is a beautiful rendition of what the viewer would see if they were viewing the animal in the wild. Abstract backgrounds bring the focus of the painting to the animal itself.

As a child, Kathryn had ample opportunities to view wildlife in its natural environment. She continues observing and studying animals every day and her paintings are based on personal experiences that she has had. She will not paint an animal unless she has seen it and studied it in the wild. Countless hours are spent outdoors and in nature capturing reference material for her artwork. While the main focus of her work is Wildlife, Kathryn also paints Western and Native themes.

The use of light, color, shape and value are important to Kathryn and she is constantly striving to bring all dimensions of her paintings to a higher level.

Kathryn’s work is found in collections across the country and internationally. It is her desire that all who view her work will have a greater appreciation for the natural world.

Barnyard Follies

As a teacher of Biology and Mathematics at Mary Institute in St. Louis, Missouri, I never
imagined that my future would involve professional artistic endeavors. Growing up, I had
no significant exposure to art, absorbing myself in academics while finding a natural ability
in athletics. I graduated cum laude with a BS degree in Biology from Southern Methodist
University in Dallas, Texas, before moving on to Saint Louis. I married Tom, a medical student at that time, and subsequently had three great children. With my love for children, I devoted years serving on the Board of Boy’s and Girl’s Club, and continued playing championship golf. Asa family, we became avid adventure travelers. A month in Nepal trekking in the Himalayas; an elephant safari in Botswana, were I swam with the elephants; teaching English to Vietnam Medical Resident’s while Tom lectured and worked in a Hanoi hospital.

Then, one afternoon “a chance touch of clay turned my world around!” Devotion to my garden, to the thrill of learning many new and difficult skills, I began a new career in my mid fifties of sculpting in bronze. You can imagine from my varied experiences and exceptional opportunities derived from my studies, and life itself, why my sculptures are eclectic in style and subject matter. Though I still delight in sculpting realistic children and animals, I now enjoy working with free and stylized forms.

The permanency and texture of bronze I love, and with so many varied patinas, my sculptures come to life. This is the case with Barnyard Follies, a piece created with my hands and heart, in hopes it will contribute to the joy of others. My delight in Barnyard Follies comes from watching doves flirting and playing outside of their farmyard nests. In the Women Artists of the West show at Settlers West in Tucson, Arizona, I was honored to have Barnyard Follies place third. The piece will be included in the next Sculpture in the Park show, where I will be a 19th year participant.

My current emphasis is with my website gmcgonaglestudio.com. Here, you are invited to find shows I have entered, awards won, sculpture placements, and society memberships. I am particularly proud to be a member of Allied Artists of America, Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Club, Women Artists of the West, and Audubon Artists. Also, in the book, Sculpture of the Rockies, you might enjoy a featured article on myself.

Runaway
Bronze
8 x 11 x 8 in.
Contact the artist about this artwork

Margaret Drake, Associate, WAOW

Margaret’s work has appeared in many prestigious juried shows throughout the United States. In 2016 Margaret’s sculpture Ohitika won “Best of Show” at the Breckenridge Texas Fine Art Show. In 2017 her piece Mr. Remington’s Cowboy was acquired by the Museum of Western Art for permanent exhibition. In addition, Margaret was chosen to teach sculpting at the prestigious Western Art Academy in Kerrville, Texas, in 2019 and 2020.

Margaret’s pieces can be found at the following galleries:
Copper Shade Tree Gallery, Round Top, Texas
Koch Gallery, Fredericksburg, Texas
Lantern Dancer Gallery, Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Lost Creek Gallery, Calvert, Texas
White Buffalo Gallery, Glen Rose, Texas
Your Private Collection Gallery, Granbury, Texas

Visit Margaret’s website: www.margaretdrakestudio.com
See more of her work on Facebook: Margaret Drake Studio
E-mail Margaret at [email protected]

He’s Never Touched Dirt and He’s Never Been Hurt
Oil on Wood Pane
24 x 24 in., 61 x 61 cm
Available through RJD Gallery
[email protected]

Rachel Moseley’s works capture life’s moments in the most truthful and colorful manner and invite us to imagine ourselves in those same scenes. A master of realism, Rachel’s candid portraits leave us wanting more, to explore the story behind the painting.

A California native, Rachel received her MFA from the Academy of Art in 2010 and her BFA from Chico State in 2007. After completing her MFA, Rachel began working as a freelance illustrator, focusing on developing her oil painting skills in her free time, and eventually transitioning into fine art and shifting her focus from client-based projects to personal work. She has exhibited her paintings across the United States and abroad and has been teaching and building curriculum for the Academy of Art since 2011.

“The goal of my work is to capture my subject at a reflective moment of insight when intimate conversation allows for an uncorking of long held and often unexamined experiences.  Rather than posing a model while I photograph reference for my paintings, I engage my sitters in conversation, sometimes lasting hours, and shoot candidly. Through this process I hope to capture the moments of truth that happen through storytelling, by being a compassionate listener and giving my subjects the opportunity to examine an experience at arm’s length and in the light of day.

I believe that involving myself intimately with my subjects makes me a more thoughtful painter and connects me very personally to each painting. I feel a great sense of responsibility to render the emotions of my subjects accurately and honestly. I strive for each piece to give the viewer the sense of sitting across from someone during an intimate conversation.”

See more of Rachel’s works, including a brand new collection of limited edition, hand-signed prints at rjdgallery.com.

Where Dragons Fly
Oil on Belgian Linen
30 x 24 in.
christinedrewyer.com

There are some places which inspire our imaginations to fleetingly leave the realm of reality and find ourselves squarely in the lands where knights still searched the kingdom in pursuit of quests worthy of their devotion. When painting this piece, it was my goal to elevate the landscape to a place where all possibility existed; to take the viewer back to the time of unabashed make-believe, a reminder of their own childhood. I wanted this landscape to transport the viewer to a place where exploration and adventure awaited around every bend. A place where “Dragons” really flew.

The notion that a sword of Avalon might exist at the bottom of this pond, waiting for the hand of the Goddess to present it, only able to be grasped by the one who is pure of heart & lived in harmony with the land…

To amplify the dreamy quality of the painting, I used no dark value deeper than the blue-violet range and kept the high key tones of the piece well under the top range. I wanted the viewer to be able to hear the buzz of those dragonflies and to be able to feel a gentle breeze as the background willows whispered their beckoning song to the traveler. To conjure the gentle lapping of the water as it and rose and fell with the breathing of the pond. To place them once again, transported to another place and time.

While we are certainly isolated and restricted at this incredibly unique time, like any trial, we are never without hope. We can almost feel a new dawn emerging, envisioning a new world of cooperation and a remote destiny waiting for us to claim it. All we must do is to have the courage to lift the veil. My hope is that you will stand at the edge of this pond and remember how the world felt to you when you believed anything was possible.

Christine is a Member of these Fine Art Organizations:
American Women Artists – Recently elected President / Signature member
Women Artists of the West – Master, Signature, Emeritus member / Advisor to the Board
National Oil & Acrylics Painters Society – Signature member

Washington Society of Landscape Painters – Publicity Chair

View More of Christine’s paintings at christinedrewyer.com.

Sleigh Bells Ring
Oil on Belgian Linen
14 x 14 in., 22 x 22 in. framed
$2500
Available in the 2020 Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Opening reception July 16, 2020, show runs through August 16.

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, I developed an early love for horses and a passion for drawing. However, my love for the west flourished when my family later moved to Colorado. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art from Colorado State University I went on to pursue an 18 year career as a fashion illustrator, but now, capturing horses in action is what excites me the most.

My intent and challenge as an oil painter today is to immerse the viewer into the atmosphere of my paintings through the use of loose, energetic and impressionistic brushwork as I strive to capture a split second in time.

The inspiration for Sleigh Bells Ring began the day my husband and I went to up to Granby, Colorado, to photograph sleigh horse teams. It was the coldest day I think I have ever experienced. The driver of this team didn’t mind though as she absolutely loved working with these horses. This was a new Belgian team, and she had accomplished a lot with their training over the season. Painting this team back in my studio brought back the excitement of being there and doing the photo shoot. I utilized several of my photo references in the composition of this painting to portray exactly what I had in mind. The horses paid no mind to the dog, and in fact seemed to follow him and go at his speed. I had to make this little Aussie part of the painting. Utilizing the warm colors of the horses against the cool colors of the background and incorporating them together to pull the horse team and the dog forward in the scene involved a lot of scraping down and rebuilding of paint. I wanted to create interest in the process by allowing parts of the under-painting to show as the build up of textures is evident. The expression of the driver says it all as far as enjoying the moment. This painting has a lot going on, but in the end, it’s just about listening to the sleigh bells and the sheer fun of the experience.

I am honored to have received prestigious awards from the Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, Women Artists of the West, and the American Academy of Equine Art. I am proud to be a featured artist in E. Ashley Rooney’s book 106 Artists of the Rocky Mountain West.

Organization Affiliations
The American Impressionist Society, Signature member
The Oil Painters of America, Associate member

Gallery Representation
RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO

I invite you to visit my website at www.LindseyBittnerGraham.com.