Wyoming Breezes

Ladies Lunch (1994) Ken Carlson oil on masonite on display National Wildlife Art Museum Jackson, WY a gift from Mr. & Mr.s John Geraghty I couldn't help but smile at this photo I took of a painting on display in the National Wildlife Art Museum near Jackson, WY in 2012.  This time of year as the tender shoots of new growth appear along the river banks, it's possible to see various wildlife grazing.  The placard by the painting stated, "The title of this piece encourages an anthropomorphic reading, a group of ladies having lunch, but the picture itself resembles a natural scene, a group of cow moose chomping Alaskan vegetation, separated from the males. Though paintings of male animals vastly outnumber paintings of females, contemporary wildlife artists have begun to close the gap by depicting scenes like this." The photo was taken when I joined Nancy, Trish, and Jane in 2012 on a road trip to Jackson. Older posts of that trip can be seen ...

"Stormy" 1999 by Nancy Glazier Oil painting on Belgian Linen The National Wildlife Art Museum in Jackson is filled with dynamic paintings, among which were two, realistic, bison paintings that appear to be photographs. "Chief" 1997 by Robert Bateman Acrylic on Canvas Staring down an open corridor between galleries, "Chief" (a life-size painting) commands the viewer to stop and study the detail. A plaque on the side states that Bateman spent many hours studying bison in the field. Bateman is quoted, "I was after a dynamic shift, when the life-hand side of the picture is the place where the subject originates. It's like an oncoming locomotive. The tension increases as you move from left to right. This particular guy is at Elk Island Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada." You can take a virtual tour of the museum here .