Painting the Park. Happy 100th birthday to National Park Service!

"Never Tired" 12 x 36 oil on canvas by Kathryn Turner

My life and art have been profoundly shaped by growing up on the Triangle X Ranch, surrounded by the magnificent beauty of Grand Teton National Park. This summer marks the 90th anniversary of the Turner Family having had the opportunity to live and work on the ranch. Since as early as I can remember, I would take in the unprecedented views that we enjoy of the Teton Mountains, and I’d become spellbound. I needed to find a way to express my heartfelt response this quiet grandeur. It was early on that I learned that I wished to communicate this love through the medium of paint. In this way, my painting is a love-letter to Grand Teton National Park.

Kathryn painting en plein air in Grand Teton National Park  

Photographer: Latham Jenkins (@lathamJenkins)

The 90th anniversary of the ranch coincides with the 100th Anniversary of the National Park System. This enactment of the US Congress, to set aside land for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, was a novel idea. Because of it we have Yosemite, Mount Rainier, Mesa Verde, and Rocky Mountain National Park. 

"Thermal Spectrum" 11 x 14 (detail) by Jennifer Hoffman

I share this love of the National Park System with my artist partners at Trio Fine Art. We all gain inspiration from the lands it protects.

“I love how vast and subtle our parks are. I know Grand Teton and Yellowstone best, but even in Arches or the Badlands, Point Reyes or the Everglades, the magic is in looking beyond the obvious. My friend Kerry Butler had a chance to visit Grand Teton [National Park] and Yellowstone National Park recently. He told me, ‘...the real magic is in the the little things. The things that only you and your traveling partners might get to witness. I wish every day that I had the time/opportunity to be there more often; pull over to the side of the road, get out and see what happens if I just hang around for a little while.’  That is what our national parks offer us. That is exactly what I love sharing through my artwork.

I love knowing that these lands are preserved so that my daughter and future generations will be able to have the same experience of wildness and beauty that I enjoy.” 

- Jennifer Hoffman

"In the West" 12 x 12 oil on linen by Bill Sawczuk

Bill Sawczuk’s introduction to the National Parks came in 1972 during a motorcycle trip around the country. He eventually ended up in Yellowstone, and was overwhelmed by its size and wildness. He and his wife now pay a visit there every couple weeks. His favorite area is Lamar Valley and the Northeast corner. 

“In these open, wild spaces I can imagine the past. Where the indigenous people would hunt and fish, or the Hayden expedition explored.”
  

On most other days, one can find Bill in our own Grand Teton National Park painting plein air where he is always encountering the diversity of the landscape depending on the time of day or season.

“Each day we go out to paint and look for something, but don’t always know what we are looking for. When we are struck by a scene that stirs us emotionally, we have found our subject. Then we have to be selective because we can’t paint it all. We must paint what is essential to communicate this feeling.”  - Bill Sawczuk

July 6th, 2016, Bill will kick off the solo exhibition schedule at Trio Fine Art, featuring his latest body of work. This collection, entitled "A Closer Look," refers to how through art we can experience a deeper reflection of the natural world. In these paintings, Bill strives to pay a tribute to it by revisiting familiar subjects in a new way.

The Parks and Inspiration

"Triangle X View" 9 x 12 oil on linen by Kathryn Turner

The National Park Service mission is to preserve the natural and cultural resources and values of the

National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. This  year marks a celebration of the past, and excitement for the future. David Veja, Grand Teton National Park superintendent says “Let’s take time to celebrate our accomplishments and the significant contributions that have been made over the past 100 years. More importantly, let’s embrace the opportunity to inspire a new generation of park enthusiasts and stewards.” We at Trio believe artwork can play a special role in this mission. Through our art, we hope to help others make meaningful connections of their own to our beautiful world around them, leading to a second century of stewardship and care for the natural world.  

“I love feeling a part of the artistic history of land preservation. Artists were integral in igniting the public’s imagination - they encouraged the conversations and created a sense of wonder and intrinsic value in our wild lands that ultimately led to the conservation of our parks. I am honored to be a small but passionate part of that legacy."
- Jennifer Hoffman

Find all three of our work featured in Donna and James Poulton's newly released book, Painters of Grand Teton National Park. A collection of nearly

 four hundred paintings, drawings, and photographs, from Thomas Moran to Edward Hopper, this book is a survey of the long history of artists' interpretations of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole area.   

Visit the National Museum of Wildlife Art this summer to view our artwork that is included in  the Grand Teton Park in Art exhibition. For more information, here's an article on this exhibit and the special installation featuring a plein air time-lapse from my favorite painting spot.

Lastly, we hope you will join us for our summer exhibitions at Trio Fine Art,  as well the much-loved Plein Air for the Parks Show and Benefit Sale at the Craig Thomas Discovery Center, July 13th - July 17th, 2016. Trio will join some of the top landscape painters to celebrate the majestic beauty of Grand Teton National Park with paint and canvas.

 

Kathryn Mapes Turner

"Painting the Park. Happy 100th birthday to National Park Service!"

Behind the Brushes

www.TrioFineArt.com

Let's talk about commissions...

Trio Fine Art is back with Behind the Brushes! This issue, I am discussing my own feelings on a subject very near and sometimes a little sensitive to the artist and the client, that is, the commission. 

"Cornerstone, Symbol, Sentinel," the Notre Dame Commission

In the fall of 2015, I was invited by my alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, to return to campus to do a painting of the iconic administration building, the Golden Dome. I was completely honored by this request, undoubtedly a magnificent subject with its Gothic revival design and gleaming top. And yet, this was a project that included some relatively specific ideas of the client’s vision. They wanted it to include the fall colors, a certain angle of the building, and a vertical orientation with certain proportions. 

And so it goes with commissioned work.

For ages, artists have been hired to create images that are the original inspiration of another’s request. Illustrators, portrait painters, and documentary artists have all had to answer to someone else. How does this compare to the imagery that the artist is internally motivated to do?

"Dance," a large 48 x 54 sandhill crane commission

Well, like anything, there is a give and take to both kinds of artwork.  

Quite obviously, the advantage of commissioned work is that there is a paycheck in the end… if the client is satisfied. The advantage of internally motivated work is that those paintings are a free expression of the artist's true heart.  I would like to argue that there are other, less obvious advantages of commissions. 

"Pronghorn Sketch," sketch exploring a commissioned piece

First of all they are an exercise in problem solving. Creativity can still flourish with constraints because an artist must within set parameters. This is not to say that commissions are easy. Quite the opposite! They challenge us on a whole other level. Commissions also afford us an opportunity to work in collaboration. In their exploration out west, photographer Henry Jackson and painter, Thomas Moran teamed up to capture the views of their expedition for the US congress. I have found that when I do commissioned work it becomes a collaborative process with the client. If it is commissioned portrait, I first get to know that personality of my subject and how best to represent it.  For other subjects, I spend time understanding what is important to them in the composition. We explore these ideas through a series of preliminary sketches. Not only does this avoid misunderstandings in the final paintings, but it gives the client a peek into the way I approach the composition of other paintings. Finally, commissioned work is an opportunity to make another person happy. Artists have skills that can be used in service to create a lasting memory of a treasured pet that has passed or to capture the spirit of a beloved child. Our images become a part of their home and their lives, and oftentimes take on a special significance. 

There is a danger of doing too much commissioned work. It is critically important to balance it with paintings that explore the artist’s singular voice with no end in mind. These paintings feel more like play… and that is an essential quality in art!

 

Behind the Brushes

"Let's talk about commissions..."

Kathryn Mapes Turner

Trio Fine Art

www.triofineart.com

A Day in the Life

Trio artists share how they would spend the ideal creative day. 

As the artists of Trio Fine Art described their "ideal creative days," it became apparent that being and feeling unplugged from technology, society, and everyday demands lay at the heart of our artists' inspiration. A chance to escape, to paint, to ponder - and share these experiences with others - these three talented artists take a moment to reflect on the special moments in their life in which they glean inspiration and motivation for doing what they do best.  

***  

6:30 AM | It's summer, and the days are long in the Wind River Range. Kathryn rises and starts the day with several Sun Salutations. These yoga moves get the kinks that happen from sleeping on the ground. A feel-good way to wake up! More awake, Kathryn gathers up her field easel to continue her study of the morning light. The cook starts the coffee back at camp, and Kathryn takes a break to grab her morning jolt of caffeine. When the painting is finished, she returns  to a hot breakfast at camp.

11:45 AM | After several hours of hiking, Kathryn finds herself high in the Green River Lakes area.

It is a clear summer day, and the light is vivid. She will spend the afternoon painting here.

2:30 PM | I am working on an afternoon painting that is informed by what I took in from my hike and sketches. The shadows are lengthening, and the colors are getting richer as the day goes by. It is a blue sky, but the high cumulus clouds slowly drift over the Mountains.

5:00 PM | The pack trip outfitters patiently wait as Kathryn puts the finishing touches on her paintings. They are packed away one a mule with the rest of the artists' materials to head back to camp. Appreciating the lighter load, Kathryn hikes back to camp, taking in the quiet and low light. Dinner is ready upon their arrival, and the artists and outfitters sit to enjoy a meal and each others' company around a dancing fire. As the stars start to appear, we feel uniquely blessed to be exactly where we are.

It feels like a luxury to be 'unplugged' from all this in the wilderness. In this solitude, I can best hear my artistic voice and intuition. - KMT

 ***

6:30 AM | The morning light finds Jen connecting with her husband, Ron, and daughter, Amelia. They share breakfast and discuss the day's plans. After walking Amelia to the bus stop, Jen takes a private moment to enjoy the sunshine on her favorite bench, writing and thinking about her art. Inspired and ready for the day, Jen packs up her painting gear and a lunch to head to Grand Teton National Park. She drives the Park road until she discovers her painting location for the day, exploring and reacting to the light. This is her favorite way to decide where and what to paint, focused and feeling like I am where I am supposed to be.

11:45 AM | Limited by the changing patterns in the light, Jen works for no more than one hour, one piece at a time, completing several sketches. Totally in my creative space... I lose track of time, completely at peace. Breaking for a brief lunch, Jen rests next to String Lake, enjoying her solitude. 
2:30 PM | Jen takes time to explore the far side of Leigh Lake by canoe as she waits for her family to arrive.
5:00 PM | Ron and Amelia prepare camp and dinner together, and Jen takes advantage of the waning afternoon light to capture her surroundings on the canvas. It's hard to give myself to the creative process when I feel compelled to take care of my family. But my family also gives me such joy that it feeds my creativity, and a trip like this is the perfect way to have it all! Camping by the lake, the three roast marshmallows and watch the stars together late into the night.

***

6:30 AM | A quick breakfast, and Bill sets off to his church to start the coffee and set up for Mass. After the service, he takes several canvases to a location North of town near the mountains to study the geometric shapes from the old buildings of the valley's ranches. The buildings provide contrast to the organic shapes of the landscape - this sets the picture off.
11:45 AM | Stopping to relax for awhile, Bill sets up a chair and admires his surroundings. Enjoying the day; feeling thankful.
2:30 PM | For the afternoon, Bill dives into a massive painting project on location - blocking in a 6 x 8 foot canvas! This image includes figures working in the landscape with the help of hired models. A rush of adrenaline and excitement working on a painting this size from life. He starts with two or three inch brushes to lay out a solid foundation of big, warm, dark, loose, bold brushstrokes that fall spontaneously into the right place!   
5:00 PM | Bill works as long as the light will hold, taking advantage of the immediacy of working from life. There is a sense of urgency that calls upon full concentration and commitment. He pays close attention to proportions, scale, and anatomy. Asking himself, What do I want to say, and how can I say it as simply as possible, he is thankful for the opportunity to experience and paint this scene, and to be able to share it with others through his work.

***

Make sure you take some time to 'unplug' as well.
All the best,

- Kathryn

 ___________________________________________________________________________

Save the Dates:

July 8th - 25th | Jennifer L. Hoffman's solo exhibition

July 29th - August 15th | Kathryn M. Turner's solo exhibition

August 19th - September 5th | Bill Sawczuk's solo exhibition

What it takes to Paint in COLOR

by Kathryn Mapes Turner

 

"Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life"-Vincent Van Gogh

 

Volumes can be written on the subject of color. Since it is autumn, we couldn't resist touching on this subject for this month's article.   No doubt about it, the experience of color is a special part of life and no one does color like Mother Nature. In the summer, she exhibits the bright colors of the wildflowers.  Currently, Jackson Hole is ablaze with golden aspen leaves, red mountain maple, and all is off-set by distant blue mountains and evergreens.  Soon, the landscape will be blanketed in white snow with shimmering blues and greys. 

     
As painters, we are challenged and inspired by the effects of light on all these colors found in nature.  Everything has what can be referred to as a color note.  A color note is the combination of hue, value (light and dark) and intensity. 

  

REMEMBERING ROY G. BIV

Depending on how it is being effected by light at that moment, we can identify the color note of our subject. The first thing we can ask is where the color note lies in the spectrum of the rainbow of colors.  This is referred to as the hue.  Remember the acronym we learned in grade school, Roy G. Biv?  Red, orange, yellow...These are the color names, or hues. In this painting of the Gros Ventre range, the hue of the sky is blue and the grass is yellow-green.

Cloud Veil by Kathryn M. Turner 16 x 20 oil on linen. Available

If there is smoke in the air, it is sunrise or sunset, the sky would likely have a different hue.  Similarly, grass is not always green.  Later in the season, this same field is a honey wheat hue. Within each hue, there is a spectrum of value, intensity and temperature.

 

VALUE

When creating a painting, we must also consider the relative lightness or darkness orvalue of an area.  There is a saying in our industry- "Color gets all the credit, value does all the work." It is the relationships of values within a painting that depicts a sense of space and form. In this painting, there is not a broad range of hues represented, but the contrast between the light and dark values describe to the viewer  the shapes of the rocks and how the water streams through them.  

 

INTENSITY

 Each color note in a painting can be bright or dull. This refers to the intensity or relative strength of saturation of any given color.  As a general rule, colors in the distance appear lighter in value and less intense than when viewed close up.  In nature, colors are often less intense than the colors that come out of our paint tubes.  To obtain these subtle colors, we mix colors with their compliments in order to make their chroma  less intense.

The Refinement of Nature by Kathryn M. Turner 9 x 12 oil on linen

 TEMPERATURE

 Each hue also has a relative temperature.  Cool colors have a bias toward blue, green and violet. Warm colors have a bias toward red, orange or yellow.  This is how it is possible to have a "cool" red such as alizarin crimson or a 'warm blue' such as french ultramarine.

 

Everything around us is an array of color. The vivid light and color of the world is what compels us to paint. As we strive to continue to understand the world of color, we do our best to create artwork that moves in a similar way. 

Jackson Peak in October by Kathryn M. Turner 9 x 12 oil on linen

Paintings from Photos vs. Life

We Weigh in on a Historic Debate

Photographic technology has been a helpful tool for artists for hundreds of years.  Leonardo da Vinci and Johannes Vermeer are thought to have 

used a camera obscura.  Artists like Edgar Degas, Alphonse Mucha, Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso have all used this tool. A camera captures the fleeting moments of sunrise, the flight of a flock of birds, a family of bears fishing.  Like legions of artists, we utilize photography in our work.  However, just as having a hammer does not make one a carpenter, it is the effective use of photography that is important.

36 x 48 oil by Kathryn M. Turner

"A Camera Never Lies?" 

While tremendously helpful, a photograph also has serious limitations. It distorts and flattens the subject.  The shadows lose light and color. It captures a level of detail that is far beyond what the human eye can naturally perceive.  Colors can either lose their luster or go the other way and look artificial.  When using photography, it is important to be aware of these inaccuracies and adjust for them. The knowledge of how to do so is gained from working from life. Proportions, color, and the subtlety of light are gained from critical observation.  This is why working from the live model, studying anatomy and movement, learning atmospheric and linear perspective and painting on location are so important to us.  In this way, life is our primary reference.  Photography is supplemental information.

                                                                                                                                photo by Mike Flaherty

The Poetry of Painting

None of the three of us are what you would call photo-realist painters.  We want to capture the impression or essence of a scene or subject rather than a photographic depiction.  When working with photographs, we do a great deal of editing in order to serve the intention of the painting.  Lots of extraneous information is left on the cutting room floor.  Then the key elements of the photo are rearranged and re-scaled.  Edges are blurred and colors are adjusted.  As artist David Hockney says, "Optical devices certainly don't paint paintings. "  It is the painter's hand that can bring a different essence to the spirit of an image.  

20 x 26 Watercolor by Kathryn M. Turner