VFA Presents Andrew Bolam, Cutting-edge American Wildlife Painter Artist’s Reception to be held at the gallery on August 21 from 5 to 9 pm Andrew Bolam is a contemporary wildlife painter whose star has risen exponentially in recent years. Far from an overnight sensation, Bolam’s artistic portfolio reveals that since the ’90s he has produced …
A Facelift for Le Grande Dame of Aspen and the Entrance to Valley Fine Art Let’s face it, any Grande Dame who is 131 years old may need some work done. Her resplendent interior, with glowing wood textures and royal hues, was marvelously remodeled in 2015/2016 and updated with modern conveniences and a rejuvenated historicity. …
1) Charron packs his painting and camping supplies into the wilderness on the backs of his four llamas. He sets up his plein air studio in the field and paints from direct observation. He brings photographs of the subjects home for larger paintings done in his studio during the winter months. 2) His traditionally approached …
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE This summer Valley Fine Art is presenting an exceptional collection of original goldtone photographs by master photographer and ethnographer of the North American Indian, Edward S. Curtis. The sixteen-piece collection is comprised of Curtis’ most iconic imagery—An Oasis In The Badlands, The Vanishing Race, A Son Of The Desert …
Though it differs throughout tribes, there are many similarities in Native American Medicine. The primary function of most medicine men is to secure the help of the spirits. Sometimes this help may be sought to heal illness, psyche, or to promote harmony between people or nature. Medicine men are not necessarily doctors or herbalists in …
The Endangered Species portfolio was commissioned by Ronald and Frayda Feldman, longtime political and environmental activists. Warhol had always had an interest in animals and after a conversation with the couple about pressing ecological issues the idea arose to create this series. Using brilliant almost psychedelic colors and poignant expressions (suggestive of the animals fates) …
With the support of President Roosevelt and the financial backing of J.P Morgan, Edward Curtis was able to produce a photo-ethnographic study that was (and still is to this day) widely regarded as the finest set of limited- edition books ever made in America. The North American Indian consists of twenty volumes and twenty portfolio sets. …
Known as one of Edward Curtis’ favorite medium, he describes the medium beautifully: “The ordinary photographic print, however good, lacks depth and transparency, or more strictly speaking, translucency. We all know how beautiful are the stones and pebbles in the limpid brook of the forest where the water absorbs the blue of the sky and …
Something in our brain responds when we look at a painting. That experience refreshes and changes us. Afterwards we are more creative and open to learning. We are less mentally fatigued. Our brains are primed for enjoying art. For longer than we’ve had the written word, humans have created and stared at images drawn onto …
With utmost care and attention to every detail, Woodrow Blagg creates each of his drawings using only graphite and paper. Demonstrating a mastery of his medium, his photorealistic pieces depict dramatic scenes of life in the West. Growing up in Texas, Blagg developed a deep appreciation for the ongoing rituals of ranch life and cowboy …
Widely considered to be Colorado’s’ finest landscape artist, Charles Partridge Adams had a deeply engrained love for the natural world. Adams wrote in his memoir: “I saw the Rocky Mountains as I had dreamed of them before I came west. Towering above a great valley filled with afternoon mists, their summits glistening with the pure …
The painter Harold Joe Waldrum was born in Texas and came to New Mexico with an already-keen eye for the southwestern landscape. The color, texture, and character he found in Taos, however, exceeded his wildest imagination and the region became his lifelong muse. Waldrum’s journey to becoming a well-respected and established artist was fueled by …
There’s no need to be daunted by contemporary art. Simply consider that contemporary art is a broad term used to describe artwork created in the 21st century. A contemporary artist must be living and working in our lifetime, regardless of the medium or subject matter. With that definition in mind, it is easier to overcome …
Since the 1970’s Edward Curtis’ iconic images have surfaced from a whole variety of places: libraries, family heirlooms, undocumented museum collections, pawn shops, discovered in the basements of old houses, etc. And, since the 70’s, the artist’s work has consistently gone up in value to collectors. But why is Curtis so relevant? What really makes …
Valley Fine Art presents two of Edward S. Curtis’ most seminal photographs, Canon De Chelly and An Oasis in the Badlands, both traditional gelatin silver prints. Both images were, in fact, included in Curtis’ magnum opus, The North American Indian: Canon De Chelly is Plate 28, photographed in 1904 and An Oasis in the Badlands, …
Ansel Adams, the iconic American photographer, is famous for having said, “No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create, or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.” Isn’t that notion what is in the real guts …
Valley Fine Art has been privileged to feature work from historical artists such as Edward S. Curtis and from living masters such as Christopher Burkett. Edward Curtis lives on through those who admire and collect Curtis photographs, but art and history enthusiasts can only learn about him and his work from what has been documented. …