Atticus the Moose

November 19, 2019

Offered for Sale at VFA

When an artist loves his craft, and creates for the joy of it, their relaxation and happiness radiates from their work. Painter Andrew Bolam would be the first to tell you that he paints for himself. “I’m excited that I’ve given myself the luxury of growing organically and doing whatever tickles my fancy,” he said in a recent interview with Southwest Art magazine [LINK to https://www.southwestart.com/articles-interviews/emerging-artists/emerging-artists-andrew-bolam] The best artists know how to listen to their inner impulses and inspiration and to let their art grow in that direction. Bolam’s artwork has developed through the years from his early-career detailed landscape paintings to his current inspiration: 40 x 40 or larger acrylics of Native Americans and western wildlife. Valley Fine Art, in downtown Aspen, Colorado, is pleased to offer a handsome representative of that present group, “Atticus,” for sale.

Bolam has chosen a stately name for his distinguished moose, “Atticus,” and has given his subject plenty of room to introduce himself—the piece measures large and square, 48 x 48. White space and silhouette feature prominently in Bolam’s current series, and Atticus wonderfully represents that style. Standing alone against a white backdrop, one might wonder if Atticus himself had arranged to sit for the portrait at the artist’s studio. Bolam explained, “I’m happy to allow a lot of negative space in my work and seemingly empty areas of canvas.” Posing with the sun on his back, Atticus cocks his head knowingly at the painter, and, is he smiling? Andrew Bolam might be the first to admit, he and Atticus are having a great time.

Pop into Valley Fine Art to meet “Atticus” and other works by noteworthy western artists.

Featuring Valley Fine Art’s Collection of Old Pawn Jewelry

October 29, 2019

At Valley Fine Art, our selection of Old Pawn Jewelry is the best in Aspen. We feature pieces from several tribes, including Navajo and Zuni. We offer rings, earrings, pins, bracelets, bolo ties, and Ketohs. We have a few Colorado bear claw necklaces with silver and turquoise. Our multi-strand turquoise necklaces with old-style squaw wrap are delicate and lovely. When you wear one of Valley Fine Art’s wide variety of turquoise and silver Old Pawn pieces you are wearing a piece of history. Old Pawn holds a treasured place among vintage jewelry because each piece increases in value as it ages.

Each item of Old Pawn Jewelry is a tangible piece of Native American history. Because many Native Americans did not have easy access to banks or cash, these pieces of silver and turquoise jewelry acted basically as currency. Furthermore, native Americans believed in the power of turquoise to heal and protect. In hard times, native Americans pawned their heirloom pieces of jewelry as collateral against loans. When the crops came in, for example, and the debts were paid, the family would buy back their pieces. If the family was unable to repay the loan by the agreed-upon date, the trader was authorized to sell the piece. In that way, the jewelry enters wider circulation.

Each piece tells a story of a family legacy and holds a tribe’s history. These intricate pieces of jewelry have been the pride of the family, worn as ceremonial pieces, worn to protect the wearer, worn in celebration, and in times of difficulty. Look closely at
the detailed turquoise inlay. At the delicate tooling on the silver. At the precise carving of the stone. Elders of the tribe wore these pieces and literally carried their wealth with them.

When appraising Old Pawn Native American jewelry, we treat each piece with reverence and respect. We are holding a part of someone’s life history. Often these pieces were passed down through generations. The patina on the silver and the smoothness of the stone combine to hint at the great mystery of these old pawn pieces.

Come, see, and try on these tangible historical heirlooms for yourself.

SHINING MOUNTAINS FILM FESTIVAL

October 10, 2019

SHINING MOUNTAINS FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS FOR THE UPCOMING FESTIVAL

Aspen, CO (October 4, 2019): The Wheeler Opera House, Aspen Film, and Aspen Ute Foundation are pleased to announce community events for the upcoming documentary film festival, Shining Mountains Film Festival, on October 12-14, 2019. Tickets for Shining Mountains Film Festival start at $15 and are on sale now at the Wheeler Opera House Box Office (970.920.5770/ aspenshowtix.com).

“In our second year of Shining Mountains Film Festival, we are so excited to add a long list of free community events to our (already announced) film lineup,” says Wheeler Opera House Executive Director and Festival Producer Gena Buhler. “We are so thrilled to have so many amazing partnerships that will help enhance Shining Mountains for the community and our native guests as we make the festival an important part of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the Valley.”

Special guests who will be participating across multiple programs during the festival include CJ Bradford, Amos Cook & Family, Phyllis Bald Eagle, Roland McCook, Henry & Silas White Cloud, Cheyleen Yazzie, Skyler Lomahaftewa, Barbara Dills, Sage (Trudell) Balsz, Long Soldier, Drew Nicholas, Sandy White Hawk, George McCauley Jr., and Sheldon Spotted Elk.

Shining Mountains Film Festival 2019 | Event Schedule

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2019

Shining Mountains Kickoff (Free)

9:30AM – 3:00PM | Wheeler Parcel (adjacent to the Wheeler Opera House)

Join us for a day of storytelling, dancing, songs, and more! This free event is family-friendly, and the perfect way to kick off a weekend honoring Native American culture and history.

Sweat Lodge sponsored by Aspen Ute Foundation (donations accepted)

4:00pm | 13 Moons Ranch Carbondale

Among the Ute, the sweat lodge ceremony is perhaps the oldest of all ceremonies. 13 Moons Ranch is located at 6334 Hwy 133 (5.2 miles south of Carbondale City Market on the left hand (east) side). Park on the open space and walk down towards river on left where you will see the Lodge.

Please come with appropriate clothing for both the ceremony, and after. Please bring a dish and/or beverage to share for our post ceremony feast. Please no dogs allowed at our ceremonies. To honor Lakota tradition women who are on their “moon time” are asked to not participate in this ceremony. More information or questions, visit aspenutefoundation.net

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2019

Pow Wow Regalia Demonstration and Masterclass (Free)

11:00 AM | Red Brick Center for the Arts

Join CJ Bradford from the Ute Indian Museum (Montrose) for a one hour discussion of current day pow wow dances.

Native Arts and Crafts

12:00 – 6:00 PM | Wheeler Parcel (adjacent to the Wheeler Opera House)

Native American arts and crafts will be showcased in the Wheeler Parcel, hosted by the Ute Indian Museum.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2019

Native Arts and Crafts

12:00 – 6:00 PM | Wheeler Parcel (adjacent to the Wheeler Opera House)

Native American arts and crafts will be showcased in the Wheeler Parcel, hosted by the Ute Indian Museum.

Trudell (Directed by Heather Rae, 2005, 80 mins)

Free Community Film, Hosted by Sage (Trudell) Balsz

12:00 PM | Wheeler Opera House

A chronicle of legendary Native American poet/activist John Trudell’s travels, spoken word performances and politics. Features appearances by Robert Redford, Kris Kristofferson, Val Kilmer, and more.

Throughout the month of October, artwork by artist Andrew Bolam is being showcased on the Wheeler Parcel in honor of the festival. Bolam is an English born artist whose work has followed a broad and intuitive path over the last 17 years focusing on the American West. A portion of the proceeds from Bolam’s art sales supports various reservation projects. His original work can be seen by visiting the Valley Fine Art gallery, located on the ground floor of the Wheeler Opera House building.

Shining Mountains Film Festival 2019 | Film Program Schedule

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2019

Movement and Meaning: Carrying on the Tradition

3:00pm | Wheeler Opera House

Throat Singing in Kangirsuk (Canada 2018)

Eva Kaukai and Manon Chamberland practice the Inuk art of throat singing in their small village of Kangirsuk. Their mesmerizing voices carry through the four seasons of their Arctic land.

Names for Snow (Canada 2018)

This short follows Rebecca Thomassie, an Inuk woman, around Kangirsuk as she learns the 52 Inuktitut words for snow.

Sweetheart Dancers (United States 2019)

A story about Sean and Adrian, a Two-Spirit couple determined to rewrite the rules of Native American culture through their participation in the “Sweetheart Dance.” This celebratory contest is held at powwows across the country, primarily for men and women couples, until now.

Sonny Side Up: The Road to Recovery (Canada 2015)

This film tells how a young man changes his life from drugs and alcohol to become a traditional dancer.

Carrying on the Tradition (Canada 2017)

Nimki is a young dancer from Wiikwemkoong. He has struggled with depression until traditional dancing reconnected him with his culture, his family, and himself.

Warrior Women (United States 2018)

The film is the story of mothers and daughters fighting for indigenous rights in the American Indian Movement of the 1970s. The film unveils not only a female perspective of history, but also examines the impact political struggles have on the children who bear witness.

$2 per ticket to this program will be donated to the Madonna ThunderHawk’s Wasagiya Najin “Grandmother’s Group” on the Cheyenne River Reservation which assists in rebuilding kindship networks and supporting the Nation in its efforts to stop the removal of children and build local resources to handle it themselves.

Words from a Bear

6:30 pm | Wheeler Opera House

That is All (United States 2018, directed/produced by Anna Robins, 19 mins)

This film by Anna Robins covers the beginnings of visual, Lakota artist, Dwayne Wilcox. From his family ranch on the Pine Ridge reservation, Dwayne discovered his love of drawing using available materials which led to his signature ledger-art style. Influenced by his culture, the unique humor found in his small community, and the events that shaped national and local history, you will see the stories jump from the page of Dwayne’s work. Hop in the car and drive through the reservation to see how the success of Dwayne Wilcox unexpectedly came to be.

Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear (United States 2018, directed/produced by Jeffrey Palmer, 84 mins)

Journey into the mind and soul of Native America’s most celebrated author of poetry and prose, Pulitzer Prize winning author Navarro Scott Momaday. Words from a Bear visually captures the essence of Momaday’s writings and storytelling, relating each written line to his unique Kiowa/American experience representing ancestry, place, and oral history.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2019

Blood Memory

6:30pm | Wheeler Opera House

Blood Memory: A story of removal and return (United States 2019, directed by Drew Nicholas, 107 mins)

Battles over blood quantum and ‘best interests’ resurface the untold history of America’s Indian Adoption Era – a time when nearly one-third of children were removed from tribal communities nationwide. As political scrutiny over Indian child welfare intensifies, an adoption survivor helps others find their way home through song and ceremony.

Immediately following the film will be a panel discussion with Director Drew Nicholas, Film Subjects Sandy White Hawk and George McCauley, and Sheldon Spotted Elk of the Indian Child Welfare Program Office (Denver), moderated by Barbara Dills (Aspen Ute Foundation)

Shining Mountains Film Festival is a documentary film festival produced by the City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House, in partnership with Aspen Film and Aspen Ute Foundation, focused on fostering Native American and indigenous peoples’ storytelling through film and live events in a way that supports and engages indigenous media arts; authentically captures national and international indigenous voices; highlights the work of indigenous filmmakers and performers for diverse audiences; and breaks barriers of racism by replacing stereotypes with credible representations of indigenous peoples’ history, culture, and community.

For more information about Shining Mountains Film Festival, please visit www.wheeleroperahouse.com.

ABOUT WHEELER OPERA HOUSE:

Since 1889, the Wheeler Opera House has been Aspen’s community performance venue and has become the Roaring Fork Valley’s premiere site for concerts, movies, festivals, lectures, community events, opera, and more. In recent years, the Wheeler has been a leader in producing exceptional festivals in Aspen, celebrating the comedy arts, global issues, and the craft of songwriting.

ABOUT ASPEN FILM:

Established in 1979, Aspen Film is one of Colorado’s most active film arts organizations, presenting dynamic programs and featured guest artists throughout the year. Internationally recognized, Aspen Film organizes a major film event in every season, along with an extensive education program: Aspen Filmfest, Academy Screenings, Aspen Shortsfest and Film Educates. With a mission to enlighten, enrich, educate and entertain through film, Aspen Film stimulates thought, encourages dialogue and broadens understanding of our world and selves through the diverse spectrum of ideas presented by filmmakers worldwide. To learn more, visit aspenfilm.org.

ABOUT ASPEN UTE FOUNDATION:

An American Indian Cultural program based in Aspen, CO the Aspen Ute Foundation facilitates the physical and spiritual reconnection of Native American Indians, with an emphasis on Utes, to their ancestral lands in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley as well as bring awareness to Indigenous cultures/traditions and struggles.

Andrew Bolam’s Native American Paintings Will Resonate With You

September 5, 2019

Andrew Bolam was fascinated with Native Americans as a child growing up in Northern England. As a professional painter, he has tapped into that curiosity to great acclaim in his artwork. Working in acrylic on panel, Bolam uses texture, color, and repetitive imagery to create bold and memorable paintings. His noteworthy pieces of art can be found at Valley Fine Art, in Aspen, Colorado this summer. Continue reading »

Eight Surprising Facts About Michael Charron and His Artwork

August 5, 2019

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 landscape paintings are often imbued with subliminal affirmations written in cursive, and then masked by the organic nature of the paint.

3) Charron is both a realist and a conceptualist, capturing the wilderness as he sees it, while touching it with a sense of spirituality.

4) Charron was commissioned by Valley Fine Art to paint plein air the most popular fishing spots of Aspen’s Roaring Fork Valley. His previous works focused intensely on Colorado’s Mt. Zirkel Wilderness, near the Colorado-Wyoming border.

5) V8 is Charron’s preferred beverage for sustained nourishment on his painting pack trips.

6) Charron refers to his paintings as Sensory Communions, and he believes that there is a worldwide spiritual awakening underway, founded in ancient wisdom.

7) Two pieces, “Aspen Mountain from Red Mountain” and “Aspen Mountain at Sunset,” were painted plein air on the deck of the house Charron stayed at while he was in Aspen painting the fishing spots.

8) Charron set up a syndicate in which collectors underwrite his expeditions in exchange for down payments on prospective paintings. Charron guarantees a certain number of paintings to come from a specific expedition, and the collectors draw numbers to see who picks first. Charron has used this method for over a decade and has sold out of his paintings every year.

Mia Valley and her team at Valley Fine Art are featuring several of Michael Charron’s paintings this season. Click here to see the offering.

If Charron’s stunning plein air paintings of fly fishing spots in the Aspen area have inspired you to wet a line, you can learn from an expert guide at Aspen Outfitting Company

PRESS RELEASE- Edward S. Curtis Original Goldtone Photographs

July 11, 2019

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 (a goldtone so rare that only one example appears in an extensive compilation of public auction records going back nearly forty years). Every other goldtone in the collection is of similar virtue.

The collection encompasses goldtones of every size the Curtis Studio commercially produced, from eight- by ten-inch goldtones to fourteen- by seventeen-inch goldtones. And, they are remarkably consistent in their superb print quality and extraordinary physical condition. Every print is housed in an original Curtis Studio frame.

The goldtone process was pioneered and popularized by Curtis, immediately recognizable as his signature work. It consists of printing a photograph on a glass plate which is then backed with a fine gold metallic emulsion. The sixteen goldtones at Valley Fine Art have survived the last one hundred and ten years close to perfectly or as perfectly as when they were produced. They are incredibly luminous, multi-dimensional photographic objects.

Edward Curtis’ photographs have featured prominently in the Aspen art scene for decades. The current collection of Edward Curtis goldtones at Valley Fine Art is unsurpassed by any previous exhibition. The combination of imagery, quality, and condition makes this body of goldtones unique in the fine art photography market and an irreplaceable opportunity for collectors—it would be impossible to recreate the collection on offer.

Mia Valley is a principal consultant/curator to many of the most important private Edward Curtis collections worldwide. Valley has built collections focused exclusively on goldtones—one such collection numbed forty-four pieces. In 2005, Valley was retained to catalogue and value the entire Edward Curtis estate. Valley serves as a trusted advisor for several major public institutions, including the Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. As welcome guests at Valley Fine Art, clients have access to one of the largest and finest holdings of original Edward S. Curtis photographs available today.

Medicine Men in Native Societies

February 20, 2016

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 way many think. They provide more of a bridge between spiritual worlds and the human world.

According to Edward S. Curtis in Volume IV, Many of the medicine-men have some knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants and generally make use of them in the treatment of disease, but their treatment consists more of incantation that anything else. Even in collecting plants they will evoke deities.

In apache tribes, every medicine man has a medicine skin inscribed with the symbolism of tribal mythology pictured above in, “Apache Medicine Man” According to Edward S. Curtis, in his own Kowa, or dwelling, with the painted skin spread before him a medicine man will sit and croon songs and pray all day and all night in hope of hearing the voices of celestial messengers.

Mandan and Hidatsa tribes had similar medicinal practices. Like many tribes, medicine-power was obtained either in visions produced by fasting or through purchase. The more medicine a man could obtain the greater his spiritual power was supposed to be. Each particular medicine was accompanied with certain songs pertaining to it, and in purchasing the medicine the songs became the property of the new owner jointly with their original possessor.

Anyone seeking aid of medicine man would first fill a pipe, take it reverently to his lodge, and lay it on the ground in front of the scaffold. The healer’s acceptance of the case was indicated by smoking the pipe.

One of such men was Nesjaja Matali a well-known medicine man pictured above. The Description by Edward S. Curtis is as follows: While in the Cañon de Chelly the writer witnessed a very interesting four days’ ceremony given by the Wind Doctor. Nesjaja Hatali was also assistant medicine-man in two nine days’ ceremonies studied – one in Cañon del Muerto and the other in this portfolio (No. 39) is reproduced from one made and used by this priest-doctor in the Mountain Chant.

“Nesjaja Hatali – Navaho, 1904”

Slow Bull, of the Ogalala pictured below is another well-known medicine man that Curtis described in his volumes.

Edward S. Curtis stated: “Invocation and supplication enter so much into the life of the Indian that this picture of the grim old warrior invoking the Mysteries is most characteristic. The subject of the illustration is Slow Bull. Born in 1844 First war party at 14, under Red Cloud, against Apsaroke. At 17 he captured one hundred and seventy horses from Apsaroke. In the same year he received medicine from buffalo in a dream while he slept on a hilltop, not fasting, but resisting from travel on the war-path. He was a subchief of Ogalala starting in 1878.”

These men were respected member of their tribes and often become chiefs. The traditional method of healing by the Native Americans is still respected today in the modern world.

“The Medicine Man”, 1907

The Battle of Little Bighorn and Edward S. Curtis

February 4, 2016

The epic battle of Little Bighorn took place in 1876 and remains shrouded in controversy to this day. Warriors of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes clashed with men of the 7^th Regiment of the US Cavalry led by the famous and well-loved General Custer. The battle was a bloody display of the soured relationship between Native American tribes and the white settlers.

The conflict was sparked by a treaty, made by many Lakota leaders with the US government, which created a large reservation for the tribes. However, not all Native Americans had agreed to this treaty, and in breaking its rules they sparked disputes. Perhaps the larger issue began when Custer took a survey of resources in the area and found gold. This discovery led to an influx of miners and entrepreneurs into the reservation, a direct violation of the treaty. When the US tried to buy the land from the Lakota, the tribe refused, resulting in more tension and eventually hostile Native Americans and Calvary invasions.

“Custer’s Battlefield Map” by Edward S. Curtis c.1891

The Calvary leader General Custer was one of the most celebrated military men in America. After the battle, Custer was widely portrayed as a doomed hero. However, another truth needed to be told. The firsthand accounts Curtis gathered from the Native Americans revealed that Custer’s actions were not heroic at all. Scouts relayed stories that showed Custer as heartless, cowardly, and a poor military planner. They claimed that the battle could have ended in victory for Americans, or at least a draw, had Custer made wiser decisions and listened to the scouts.

“Custer’s Crow Scouts” by Edward S. Curtis c.1908

Curtis tried to bring this information to the public by reporting that Custer, “unnecessarily sacrificed the lives of soldiers to further his own personal end.” This assessment caused a furor. Officers considered this view as slander against an American hero and Custer’s wife used her political and social connections to prevent Curtis’ view from being published. Because Curtis’ account from the Native Americans was so controversial, even Roosevelt ended up deeming his theory improbable and it was dismissed immediately.

The battle remains embroiled in controversy with very little consensus, except that Custer was killed. The issues are endless: the time and length of the Last Stand, how Custer died, the size of the Indian encampment, the number of warriors, the numbers killed in the Deep Ravine, etc. Curtis’ information from the Tribes represents the often-unheard voice of the Native Americans. It may be that Curtis was right, but his account was dismissed because it embarrassed the US. Nevertheless, Curtis sought the truth and his actions are testimony to his trust in the Native American Indians and his commitment to make their voices heard. This battle remains an enduring symbol that illustrates the clash of cultures between Native Americans and the White Settlers.

“General Custer” by Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species Portfolio: The Bighorn Ram

January 31, 2016

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) Warhol created a stunning display that is still relevant today.

The portfolio was made in 1983 and consists of 10 different screenprints. Some of the animals he chose to highlight are: the African elephant, Siberian tiger, bald eagle, black rhinoceros, and the bighorn ram. He created a small main edition of only 150 of each image, making the existing pieces quite rare. He also created 30 individually unique Trial Proofs of each image, to test and choose the colors scheme for the main edition. These “TP’s” are exceedingly rare, they are unique pieces. We are very pleased to have one of the 30 Trial Proofs of the “Bighorn Ram” available here at Valley Fine Art.

“Bighorn Ram” Original Edition of 150 “Bighorn Ram” TP of 30 (Currently Available)

On the left you see the color scheme of the Bighorn Ram if the main edition of 150 and on the right the unique TP color scheme of the piece. One will notice that they vary quite vastly in color which gives an interesting view into Warhol’s process. For every collection that he created he made a number of trial proofs, which were never specifically intended to be sold. It is a great opportunity for the collector to come across a piece of this exceptional quality and rarity.

A Look inside of Edward S. Curtis’ Volume VI

January 18, 2016

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. These exquisite books are hand bound in leather, written with hand-set letter press text, and illustrated with hand-pulled photogravure prints. Every page is printed on handmade imported paper. Edward S. Curtis would settle for nothing but the very best for his massive project that took over 30 years. A look into one of Edward Curtis’ Volumes reveals an incredible amount of information, vocabulary, musical score, images, and ideas.

We are fortunate to have Volume VI here in the gallery to draw from and share one of the incredible masterpieces that Edward S. Curtis created. After the Edition number, one of the first pages that appears in every volume is the title page (preserved under tissue) across from which is the frontice image of the volume:

After the Table of contents and a brief forward written by Edward S. Curtis he goes on to give a general description of the first tribe he will present followed by pages of images and more information. This information can include Vocabulary, Alphabets (as seen below) musical score and much more.

An example of Musical Score:

As stated by noted author and critic A. D. Coleman, “Curtis’s work stands as… an absolutely unmatched masterpiece of visual anthropology, and one of the most thorough, extensive, and profound photographic works of all time.” These Volumes are truly a gift that Edward Curtis left for the world.