New hound dog painting hot off the easel!
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| Focused Resolve / 16x12 / oil on masonite |
In July, as we do every year since moving to Reno, my husband and I attended the Coeur d"Alene Auction. The catalog cover this year featured a delicate oil by Charles M. Russell called The Tenderfoot painted in 1897. Charles Russell was a real and rugged cowboy in addition to being a painter and sculptor. This piece engendered some spirited bidding and sold for $700,000.00 USD.
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| 2016 Auction Catalog and bidding paddle |
The center painting in this photo is Howard Terpening's Blackfeet Storyteller 1988. He is such a magnificent painter with enviable brushwork and is a master of lost edges.This one also sold for about $700,00.00 USD. (That is the Charles Russel Tenderfoot painting on the right).
Harry Jackson's 60 inch high sculpture called Pony Express 1983 shows the kind of energy and motion that I love to paint!
A portion of the display of over 300 paintings and bronzes that encircled the entire ballroom.
Two Conte drawings and two acrylic paintings by contemporary artist Bob Kuhn. I was impressed by the crispness and purity of his colors.
Paul Pletka's Crow Warrior was one of my favorite pieces.
This romantic painting by Richard Schmidt seemed very nostalgic to me, hearkening back to more carefree times.
After viewing the lots the night before the auction there is always a buffet dinner. This year the food was bountiful and better than ever including prime rib,lamb shanks, cheddar cheese balls, tiny quiche lorraine and wonderful pastries for dessert. The auction itself is always the most fun as it all happens at such a fast and furious pace. Most things were sold quickly. I learned that western art is alive and well in the United States although I must admit that generally the subject matter is not my cup of tea. My absolute favorite was not an American Western painting but instead an arrestingly beautiful picture by Leon Gaspard, a Russian trained painter and adventurer. The painting is Siberian Christmas and the story is that at 17 years old, after winning a gold medal at an exhibition at the National Academy of Russia, Leon set out into Siberia on a solo painting trip. The year was 1899 and after paying abut 12 cents for a ride in a horse drawn wagon from a passing family, he was dropped off at an inn deep in the interior of Siberia. This painting is a result of that experience.
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| Siberian Christmas / Leon Gaspard / 24x24 |
The photograph does not even come close to doing it justice. It sold to a lucky buyer for a mere $250,000.00!
