In Park City and Beyond
By Sabina Dana Plasse
“Coming Back Around” by Matt Flint. 36” x 60”, Mixed media on panel at Gallery MAR.
In this issue of Western Home Journal, we invite you to take a peek at a gathering of works we collected by contemporary artists, photographers, and galleries, which are often sought-after by art collectors and art admirers across the nation as well as throughout the West. Inspired by Utah’s deserts and mountains, Park City photographer Willie Holdman offers his breathtaking photographs at his gallery on Main Street, and each one has a unique story tied to an adventure. At Gallery MAR owner Maren Mullin celebrates her ten-year anniversary as a Main Street gallery in Park City where she exhibits exciting contemporary works by artists who live in and around Park City and across the U.S. With a vast collection of contemporary photographs for fine art collectors with an interest in the photographic process, Gilman Contemporary is a key source for collecting photography as fine art. Tracing his ancestral narrative and existence in the modern world, ledger artist Terrance Guardipee offers a historic lesson in Native American culture with a look to the future.
“Cite Samtana 27” by James Verbicky. Mixed media and resin on panel at Gilman Contemporary.
Gallery MAR:
CELEBRATing 10 YEARS
“Fibonacci” series by Jylian Gustlin, 60” x 60”, Mixed Media on Panel at Gallery MAR.
“Ten years has flown by, and I have found that it is the relationships that we have fostered between artist and collector that bring me the most joy.”
–Maren Mullin
Providing the most innovative, creative, and collectible fine art for Park City and the surrounding area, Gallery MAR celebrates its 10th anniversary with a host of events, exhibitions, and support for area nonprofit organizations. Since 2008, Gallery MAR owner Maren Mullin has sourced and discovered some of the most exciting established and emerging artists known in Utah and throughout the U.S. Mullin has built a reputation for capturing artistic vision, innovation, and beauty within her gallery, but also has educated and inspired collectors as well as art admirers with her impressive roster of artists.
“Cairn: Light on Guardsman” by R. Nelson Parrish, “13” x 12” x 2.5”, Bioresin and Wood at Gallery MAR.
“It is an honor to be able to do what I love—connect people with art—in my work life,” says Mullin. “Ten years has flown by, and I have found that it is the relationships that we have fostered between artist and collector that bring me the most joy. Traveling to Mexico and Arizona to work with collectors to source perfect pieces for their homes, a 15-piece group of work that we curated for the Deer Valley development One Empire Pass, and our community involvement and nonprofit events at the gallery are a few highlights for me.”
The motto for Gallery MAR is “fresh art and bold vision.” Mullin explains that with each visit to Gallery MAR, it always feels fresh and new because the gallery is constantly rotating and bringing in new artwork. “Our clientele can trust that the artists that we are bringing to them have a unique point of view, and are collectible and diverse—offering them a bold vision for their home. We go above and beyond for our artists. To us, they are family,” says Mullin.
“Aspenbranch” by Michael Kessler, 35” x 35”, Acrylic on Canvas at Gallery MAR.
In an upcoming exhibition, Gallery MAR will feature new works by Rebecca Kinkead for the show “Flight.” Kinkead explains, “These paintings are musing on the feeling of soaring, whether it’s literal or figurative, emotional, or physical. The show is an exploration of flight as a metaphor for freedom… Freedom of thought. Freedom of movement. Freedom of spirit. This is what I am hoping to capture.”
Artist Jylian Gustlin will exhibit new works at Gallery MAR in 2019, continuing to present figurative pieces reflective of her in-depth knowledge of technology where mathematical sequences come into play when she paints figures. Gustlin says, “I work by combing all different genres of art—printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, sewing, digital art, 3D modeling, and collage. My working method is to make as many mistakes as possible until it is finished. While my subjects evolve as my interests change, the figure has always been a mainstay in my art as I have always been fascinated with the collective human condition.”
Another upcoming January 2019 exhibition, “Let’s Get Go Going,” featuring the works of Michael Kessler, is an example of the attention to contemporary fine art that Gallery MAR has consistently offered in its ten years, and, in 2018, it’s as cutting-edge as it has ever been. “The abstract paintings I’ve been making recently incorporate branch and trunk forms derived from forest imagery,” says Kessler. “The structures have emerged from the grid or a rectilinear matrix. The thing I’m interested in working with in this next group of paintings is the oval. I’ve constructed a number of ovoid or elliptical templates, which will be used to build up a multi-layered matrix. I expect this new elliptical element to dramatically energize these new paintings.”
“Fossil Series Set”, Jared Davis, Glass, at Gallery MAR.
As an artist who has been with Gallery MAR for ten years, Matt Flint will present new paintings in a February exhibition, “Braided Path.” Flint explains how this body of work was conceptualized from his experience of going “off trail” but always finding his way back to the main route. As he explains, “In the Wind River Range in Wyoming, there are heavily used hiking trails that end up with spur trails, which is the metaphor for this show. There’s always the middle path with cross-overs that lead back. I like to experience going back and forth, not always straight forward, but ultimately I am led back to the main path.”
Mullin enjoys stepping out of the comfort zone with her artists and for this coming season is planning “out-of-the-box” artist experiences for her top collectors, who will have the opportunity to get to know Gallery MAR artists on a more personal level as well as share in outdoor adventures, intimate dinners, studio tours, hot-glass dining experiences, and moonlit snowshoeing, to name a few of the exciting events planned.
“Many of the artists that we are exhibiting have been with the gallery for our entirety of the ten years,” reveals Mullin. “And there are also several fresh faces to our exhibition list this winter. We offer a ‘First Look’ catalog for each show, which is a private preview for collectors to see the artwork before the show is hung. Typically, our clientele are awaiting works by our artists and this gives them a chance to pick their favorites. Anyone can be on the list—they just have to reach out to the gallery.”
“Grey Horse with Snow” by Rebecca Kinkead, 96” x 59”, Oil on Linen at Gallery MAR.
Visit Gallery MAR at 436 Main Street in Park City or @gallerymar. For more information, call 435.649.3001 or visit gallerymar.com. Gallery MAR Upcoming Exhibitions
- December 28, 2018 “Flight”
Presenting works by Rebecca Kinkead and Jamie Burnes - + January 11, 2019 “New Works”
Presenting works by Jylian Gustlin and Jared Davis Glass - + January 25, 2019 “Let’s Get Go Going”
Presenting works by Michael Kessler and R. Nelson Parrish - + February 22, 2019 “Braided Path”
Presenting works by Matt Flint - + March 25, 2019 “About Locals”
Presenting works by Jonathan Julien,
Cristall Harper, and Aaron Memmott
Terrance Guardipee
Connects the Past, Present, and Future through Ledger Art
Running Eagle Victory Ride by Terrance Guardipee. Oil and pencil, antique Montana map,
antique Montana checks, World War II ration book and stamps, 23” x 18”, October, 2018.
The power of art and its beholder is never so powerful as it is with the work of ledger artist Terrance Guardipee. Guardipee is an internationally acclaimed Blackfeet painter and ledger artist consistently recognized for the traditional depiction of his Blackfeet heritage and contemporary innovation represented through all of his work. He is one of the first Native American artists to revive the historical ledger art tradition, and was the first ledger artist to transform the style from the single-page custom into his signature map collage concept. The map collage concept is based in the ledger art style, but incorporates various antique documents such as maps, war rations, and checks in addition to single-page ledgers.
“It was around 1850, the middle of the 1800s, when the buffalo started to be wiped out,” Guardipee explains. “When the buffalo became scarce, instead of letting our form of pictograph writing or record-keeping die out, we transferred it to paper.” Utilizing antique documents in all of his artwork dating from the mid-19th century, and typically originating from the historical and present Blackfeet homeland of Montana, Guardipee’s work is not only an homage to his ancestors, but it’s also personal to his own family heritage. He adds, “When individual warriors would go into combat, if they lived, they would come home and they would draw what they did in combat.”
Running Eagle, Blackfeet Warrior Woman War Raid by Terrance Guardipee. Oil and pencil, 1897 Montana ledger paper, antique documents, 36” x 19”, September, 2018.
“The ledger paper, antique checks, and documents I use in my artwork are from Montana, which is the ancestral homeland of the Blackfeet (Pikuni) people.”
—Terrance Guardipee
Guardipee is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, and illustrates his personal experience of Blackfeet culture in combination with his educational experience in his artwork. Guardipee was raised in the Blackfeet homeland in northern Montana, and as a result, the cultural life and history of the Blackfeet people became a foundational part his identity. Guardipee participates in the traditional Blackfeet ceremonies often depicted in his artwork. His understanding and personal knowledge of authentic Blackfeet history and traditional culture is expressed throughout his work. Guardipee says, “The ledger paper, antique checks, and documents I use in my artwork are from Montana, which is the ancestral homeland of the Blackfeet (Pikuni) people.”
Guardipee lived in Montana until he attended the Institute of American Indian Arts [IAIA] located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he studied two-dimensional arts. His educational experience at IAIA enabled him to incorporate the contemporary color palette he is known for in a manner that is consistent with Blackfeet tradition.
Blue Bird Woman by Terrance Guardipee. Oil and pencil, antique Montana map, antique Montana checks, Blackfeet bingo, World War II rations and stamps, 23” x 18”, October, 2018.
“I am so proud to be part of ledger art and its growth and existence into the new millennium.”
—Terrance Guardipee
The innovation Guardipee has demonstrated in his artwork is recognized by numerous museums, prominent Indian art markets, and private collectors.
Through his paintings Guardipee reveals he is, “Showing the change from living in the 1800s… There is a change and evolution with the time. It’s moving forward.”
Running Eagle, Blackfeet Warrior Woman Leader of the Crazy Dog Society by Terrance Guardipee. Oil and pencil, 1897 Montana ledger paper, antique Montana documents, World War II ration, 19” x 36”, August, 2018.
Black Wolf, War Medicine by Terrance Guardipee. Oil and pencil, 1897 Montana ledger paper, 36” x 19”, September, 2018.
Guardipee is the godfather of ledger art, which he created twenty years ago. His work is featured in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute, the Gene Autry Museum, the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College, and the Museum of Natural History in Hanover, Germany. Furthermore, Guardipee was the featured artist at the National Museum of the American Indian in 2007, and was selected to create an image for The Trail of Painted Ponies at the 2008 50th Anniversary Heard Museum Indian Art Market. Terrance has placed first in ledger art several years in a row at Santa Fe Indian Market, as well as winning best of western art in 2017.
Gilman Contemporary:
Reaching Beyond its Walls
“Symmetry” by Maria Svarbova. Archival pigment print at Gilman Contemporary.
Gilman Contemporary is a fine art gallery, presenting a range of contemporary art by established and emerging artists who are celebrated painters, sculptors, and photographers from around the world. Since 2007, gallery owner L’Anne Gilman and gallery director Casey Hanrahan have focused on connecting collectors, art lovers, and art aficionados to thought-provoking and inspirational works. While Gilman Contemporary represents artists in all artistic media, their main focus is on photography.
By specializing in photography, Gilman Contemporary has been able to position itself as one of the West’s most important fine art resources in the medium. “We’re always bringing in new photographers to the gallery,” says Gilman. “We ship all over the world, and have an established international clientele who are looking for photography and find us. “We connect our clients to our diverse range of artists around the globe.” Hanrahan adds, “We’re set up to do this. The connectivity of the Internet and the art world have given us this ability, and it’s working.”
“Zoey with Ducks” by Rodney Smith. Archival pigment print at Gilman Contemporary.
Through a growing online presence, Gilman Contemporary has successfully expanded its clientele and promoted its website to collectors around the world. “The success is from treating a client who lives across the world just like you would someone inside the gallery,” says Gilman. “Though we may never meet some clients face-to-face, we are still able to create a close relationship, and we treat those relationships very seriously. It’s very nice to receive responses on how prompt we are about our online communications. It’s very important to how we conduct business. We ship to New York, Texas, Australia, and many European countries, and it is a list that is constantly growing all the time with new inquiries and purchases.”
“Boswijck 08” by Niv Rozenberg. Archival pigment print at Gilman Contemporary.
“WE WORK VERY HARD TO EDUCATE NEW COLLECTORS ON PHOTOGRAPHY, ITS VALUE, AND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROCESS and It has been exciting to see the growing market for photography over the last several years.”
–L’Anne Gilman
Most of the requests Gilman Contemporary receives are for photographic works and they come from a variety of types of collectors, including those who are decorating homes or those collecting with artists in mind. “As an established resource, we love working with a range of art lovers,” says Gilman. “There are the people who like what they see and buy it. And then, there are those who are serious collectors. We work very hard to educate new collectors on photography, its value, and the complexity of the process and It has been exciting to see the growing market for photography over the last several years.” Gilman adds that there’s a greater understanding and appreciation for photography than there has been in the past. “It’s not just a snap of a photograph. There’s so much more involved and many people are appreciating photography a great deal more because of their understanding of the photographic process.”
As an eclectic gallery, many of Gilman Contemporary’s clients consistently inquire about works and artists because they enjoy the diversity and attention to discovery that the gallery puts forth. “I do think collectors and those interested in having fine art find something meaningful at our gallery,” says Hanrahan. “We are constantly on the lookout for new work and what’s happening every season. Over the next year, we will have three new photographers who are emerging and established with a wide range of appeal—that’s exciting.”
“She IV” by Maria Svarbova. Archival pigment print at Gilman Contemporary.
Gilman Contemporary presents new works for the 2018-19 winter season, including Michael Massaia’s “Time in Between: Central Park,” black and white photographs that capture Central Park in the early morning hours. Massaia’s work demonstrates a deep understanding of traditional photographic aesthetic and process, while evoking a sense of modern isolation. In addition, the gallery will feature work by John Westmark, who presents “Double Bind,” featuring figurative mixed media paintings that use vintage sewing patterns to create anonymous figures. He is a painter who is interested in the metaphysical potential of unorthodox painting materials.
“Girls on Stool” by Jane Maxwell. Mixed media and resin on panel at Gilman Contemporary
“Art reminds you of relationships, a moment of time in your life, and sometimes it reminds people of where they have been.”
–Casey Hanrahan
“Halo” by Kelly Ording. Acrylic on dyed paper at Gilman Contemporary.
On exhibition will also be Jefferson Hayman’s “The Stars Are Always Brighter Here,” with small photographs in handcrafted or vintage frames that have a nostalgic charm. This is Hayman’s first exhibit at Gilman Contemporary. Hayman’s work is found in numerous private and public collections. In February, James Verbicky, who is an L.A.-based media painter known for his layered paper and resin abstractions, will exhibit. His work is exhibited around the country and world. In March, the gallery will also present abstract and geometric painter Kelly Ording, whose work encompasses a broad palette and a wide range of media. From muted tones to vibrant colors, pen and ink drawings to paintings, each piece intentionally pushes the limits of minimalism and representation. New to the gallery, Niv Rozenberg will present his series focusing on the houses of the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Rozenberg became fascinated by his neighborhood’s colorful homes and decided to highlight their character by isolating each building and placing it on a matching background.
“The New Martini” by Jefferson Hayman. Pigment print in antique frame at Gilman Contemporary.
Helping make collections diverse has been Gilman Contemporary’s goal with their clients. There are exhibitions and visits by artists to Gilman Contemporary in its Sun Valley, Idaho, location; however, it’s the online presence that has been the most attractive to the gallery’s national and international clientele. “Art reminds you of relationships, a moment of time in your life, and sometimes it reminds people of where they have been,” says Hanrahan. “It marks a point in life. It’s an exciting time to be in the art business and to have such a reach.”
Gilman Contemporary has an online app, which can be downloaded to see how their art looks in your home with an iPhone or iPad where no measuring is required. For more information, visit Gilman Contemporary at gilmancontemporary.com, email lanne@gilmanc.com, or call 208.726.7585.
Willie Holdman:
Captures Special Moments for Timeless Photographs
“Cottonwood S Curve” by Willie Holdman. Photograph at Willie Holdman Photographs.
For landscape photographer Willie Holdman, images are only part of the story. It’s about the journey and the light when he’s in his element, in nature, where he can transform a moment in the outdoor world into a timeless piece of art. Holdman has been living in Utah his whole life and resides at the base of Mt. Timpanogos in Heber. When you have this kind of a beauty outside your front door, you will capture and embrace it as much as possible, and Holdman has done that for more than 30 years.
As Holdman says, “The most rewarding part of what I do is to be out there in nature. Seeing the amazing light, feeling there’s a moment to see what Mother Nature is going to put before me, using my creativity, and, then, if everything comes together, I just love to capture those images, and they’re immortalized forever for everyone.”
“Crest Trail Rays” by Willie Holdman. Photograph at Willie Holdman Photographs.
“Waking up to a fresh foot of snow, which is clean and pure, in a creek bed with a little bit of ice in the stream…there’s a nice white canvas, then you get that little bit of light breaking through the clouds illuminating the mountainsides…there’s something beautiful about that. It can warm up your heart and soul.”
–Willie Holdman
Hiking and watching the light, which changes with each season, Holdman feels a personal connection to Mt. Timpanagos, which he conveys through every photograph he has printed at his gallery in Park City. Holdman also ventures to many other beloved parts of Utah, including his favorite deserts and canyons in the southern part of the state, with the same passion and desire to capture a moment in time.
“My favorite time to photograph is the ‘sweet hour’ during sunrise and sunset,” reveals Holdman. “The light is at a lower angle so you achieve more definition with shadows in the landscape and the colors are richer because there is more of the earth’s atmosphere for the rays to travel through. What makes it special and unique is that you don’t see this time of day all day. It only lasts for a certain window. It’s fleeting.”
“Tripple Arch Powell” by Willie Holdman. Photograph at Willie Holdman Photographs.
Whether it’s deep in the narrow canyons of the Utah deserts where Holdman captures the glow of bouncing light in the middle of the day or a craggy lone tree on a ridge in the dead of winter, he finds the story and captures it in a unique way because he sees a certain beauty. “You have to know light, how nature works, where to go, the time of year, and the season,” explains Holdman. “Having done this for so many years, I have learned.”
Holdman’s passion for the red rocks and the open canyons of southern Utah, the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains, and all the different climates and elevations are always presenting new opportunities for Holdman. He embraces the variety and enjoys seeing the change in these areas all year long, with every visit, hike, and look through his viewfinder. “Waking up to a fresh foot of snow, which is clean and pure, in a creek bed with a little bit of ice in the stream…there’s a nice white canvas and then you get that little bit of light breaking through the clouds illuminating the mountainsides…there’s something beautiful about that. It can warm up your heart and soul,” says Holdman. “It’s as much as a warm summer’s day.”
“People blow my mind with their requests. I am always amazed. It makes my heart full.”
—George Gulli
“Timpanogos Rays Cattails”å by Willie Holdman. Photograph at Willie Holdman Photographs
Beyond photographing, Holdman has been printing on metal where inks are fused onto aluminum with heat and pressure, giving the photographs a translucent three-dimensional appeal. “This process transfers my vision and looks really good,” says Holdman. “I like to print on a medium that will give justice to the mood or the moment of the image.” The sharpness and clarity of this printing method has become more preferred, according to Holdman. There are several other methods for printing and finishing photographs such as using canvas, wood, or photographic paper. Finishing the photograph by face-mounting on glass, or using a matte laminate and framing with Holdman’s own collection of reclaimed barn wood he gathers locally, all have a place, depending upon the buyer’s taste. “It always comes back to taste,” says Holdman. “There’s always an emotional connection, especially how someone remembers or loves their time in Utah, and that’s what matters.”
Look for new Willie Holdman books of Mt. Timpanogos and Utah photographs in the future. For more information, contact Willie Holdman Photographs at 530 Main Street in Park City at 435.658.0800, email webstore@willieholdman.com, and visit willieholdman.com.
