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by Victoria Plasse
In the heart of Jackson Hole, Gold Mountain Gallery curates work that resonates with the Teton Valley’s sense of place. The Gallery is showcasing the large-scale images of photographer David Yarrow, which are playful and refined without being pretentious, as well as glass artisan Jason Lawson’s made-to-order chandeliers from LWSN. From custom rugs, furniture, and fine art accompanied by a ping-pong table, the Gallery offers a fresh take on a new way to collect art.
“Our goal at Gold Mountain Gallery is to be different from anywhere you’ve ever been. From David Yarrow’s photography to custom rugs, artisan furniture, and a mindset that happy hour is business hours— we love what we do.”
–Trevor Ruffner, Manager, Gold Mountain Gallery
A MATERIAL WITH SPECIAL PROPERTIES
With locations in Telluride, Colorado, Fort Worth, Texas, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Gold Mountain Gallery curates original works in all forms, with furniture, décor, and accessories that share the stories of the American West.
Located on the historic Wort Plaza, the gallery has a lounge vibe, as its showroom displays contemporary designers and artists. David Yarrow’s photography hangs on the wall, illuminated by a Texas Hill Country artisan chandelier, opposite a custom ping-pong table made from a gorgeous piece of walnut with matching buffalo hide paddles.
Playful without being pretentious, Gold Mountain Gallery captures the itinerant lifestyle of mountain culture—from dawn patrol through a viewfinder to vintage gaming machines at happy hour, the gallery catches the masculine energy of manifest destiny in its collection of lamps, desks, and sculptures as they sit below Yarrow’s complex, competitive, and captivating images.
The curation isn’t just about a limited edition—it’s also about connection, connecting to landscape and most importantly, connecting to fun. Like Yarrow’s great cowboy race between air and hoof or Grainger Glass Studio’s fragile anatomy work, which renders hearts, cowboy hats, bolo ties, and skulls into stained glass curiosities.
Yarrow’s niche is action shots and dramatic backdrops, and his works are highly sought-after worldwide. The photographer’s own life mimics the art and the lifestyle of the West. Gold Mountain Gallery’s manager Trevor Ruffner says the artist leaves no room for error.
Ruffner points out that artists attempt to imitate Yarrow’s fusion of action and landscape, but no one comes close to executing it. The sheer size of Yarrow’s images brings with it an emotion of instant gratification. But the more time the viewer spends with Yarrow’s
Yarrow’s surreal largescale prints bring whimsy to any wall space, but Gold Mountain’s space feels less like a gallery than it does a retro lodge, just waiting for the next round of backgammon players to take a seat and enjoy the view—while overhead, a five-hundred-pound chandelier pays homage to the Wapiti of the nearby mountain ranges.
pieces, the more the artist’s meticulous approach to every detail reveals itself, and a new layer of aesthetic is realized.
Yarrow was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1966 and took up photography at an early age. At 20, he found himself working as a photographer for The London Times on the pitch at the World Cup Final in Mexico City. During that match, Yarrow took the famous picture of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup and, as a result, launched his photojournalism career and was subsequently asked to cover the Olympics and numerous other sporting events. Years later, Yarrow’s evocative and immersive photography remains distinctive and has earned him an ever-growing following amongst art collectors.
“Every detail is intentional, and in a large piece, nothing can be hidden,” says Ruffner. Yarrow is represented in over 40 galleries worldwide—and Yarrow himself can be flying from Jackson Hole to Miami to South Africa to Dallas on any given week scouting shots, says Ruffner.
Yarrow’s surreal large-scale prints bring whimsy to any wall space, but Gold Mountain’s space feels less like a gallery than it does a retro lodge, just waiting for the next round of backgammon players to take a seat and enjoy the view—while overhead, a five-hundred-pound chandelier pays homage to the wapiti of the nearby mountain ranges.
Jason Lawson pulls a glass antler from 2,000-degree molten glass, mastering the confluence of utilitarian and Nouveau styles as something new, fused and born entirely from the spirit of the West. The artisan collection of bulbs is fused to foundations that can be of hand-poured bronze, stainless steel, and sometimes gold-plated.
The boutique glass atelier, LWSN, is Lawson’s brainchild. Originally a graphic design student at Texas Tech University, Lawson discovered the craft of glass. With a stint at the Pilchuck Glass Studio under his belt, Lawson has found his niche transforming everyday needs into artwork. In 2016, Lawson and his wife Carrie established LWSN.
“That same year, we were a finalist for the International Design Awards,” she says. Lawson’s wife handles marketing and sales for the five-person team. It takes at least two to three artisans to work simultaneously on each piece.
Since their entrance into the luxury market of the decorative arts, the number of design choices have only multiplied at LWSN, creating endless options for customization. There are 25 metal finishes to choose from alone. The juxtaposition of LWSN’s old-world techniques to its technology—the chandeliers utilize LED light bulbs—is the essence of the modern West, one part legacy, one part aesthetic.
“We completed a project in North Carolina recently where the building was primarily windows and when the sun went down you could see these illuminated sculptures reflecting back,” describes Lawson. The double reflection of the five-foot-tall piece is just one of the many ways that the lighting follows the circadian rhythms of the natural world, forging new ways to bring the outside in.
Made to order, the chandelier design and build process takes about 24 weeks. Lawson says LWSN mostly works with interior designers directly, with the exception of the Gold Mountain Gallery locations. The gallery staff has been trained by the Texas illuminati team to properly oversee the installation process and ensure the clients have all the support they need on the ground when the chandelier arrives.
“Our goal at Gold Mountain Gallery is to be different from anywhere you’ve ever been,” Ruffner proudly says. “From David Yarrow’s photography to custom rugs, artisan furniture, and a mindset that happy hour is business hours—we love what we do.” And it shows.
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