Art Feature | Hemmings Gallery Bridges Art, Artists, And Collectors With a Personal Touch Partner Website

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By Alex Clarkson

In this issue of Western Home Journal, Sun Valley galleries and artists showcase a myriad of works that stem from innate creativity, exploring universal themes of life and the environments we inhabit. The educational journeys and experiences these artists draw upon to produce their work are both expansive and fascinating. Focusing on the American West, Sun Valley galleries and artists provide an up close and personal connection while inviting observation and interest.

Hemmings Gallery exhibits work by Thom Ross, an artist deeply connected to the West’s history, while Sarah Bird’s pieces evoke realism and discovery. In addition, contemporary artists Susan Hall and Sarah Davies explore the aesthetics and knowledge necessary to be an artist through their processes and interests.

In the history of Sun Valley galleries, emerging artists have found their works collected and embraced by collectors who make the area their home. In 2025, the appreciation for fine art and creativity continues with the next generation of gallery owners, represented and upheld by Hemmings Gallery, owned by Edward Hemmings and Glin Varco.

As a Sun Valley native, Edward Hemmings has always valued the elevated fine arts scene in town that contributed to his upbringing. When opening Hemmings Gallery, he and his wife, Glin Varco, recognized the opportunity to work with emerging, collectible artists and connect with working and established artists who make the West their home.

“Our artists are intellectually motivated and creatively inspired. They’re committed to producing art in their studios every week, regardless of where they are in their careers,” says Edward. “This summer, we’re exhibiting work by Thom Ross, an artist whose career spans fifty years and many mediums, followed by a solo show with Sarah Bird, a talented oil painter and recent MFA graduate. What matters is that both artists are passionate about their choices and committed to making strong work that carries their artistic DNA.”

Modern, fresh, and technically well-executed works of art in various mediums—ranging from mixed media and sculpture to paintings—define a Hemmings exhibition. The gallery is as committed to the artistic strength of its exhibitions as it is to the personal level of service it provides.

“Art is personal,” says Glin. “To start, it’s the personal expression of the artist. An artwork then becomes meaningful to someone because it resonates on a personal level.” She adds, “Buyers are looking for art they can live with and enjoy on a regular basis. Something they can bring into the intimate space of their home. It’s a decision that’s often given a lot of thought and consideration.”

“We are a small but committed team,” says Edward. “When you visit the gallery, one of us will be there to greet you. At our art openings, we’re at the front door ready to connect people with the actual artist behind the show. And for our clients, we’re there to help with every step of the art buying process from curation to selection to installation.”

Edward’s related business, Raven Art Services, provides professional fine art transportation, installation, and storage to clients all over the West Coast. Having worked with prominent museums and established collectors, Raven Art Services is a trusted name for dedicated, white glove art services in Sun Valley and beyond.

It adds to Glin and Edward’s two-fold approach and vision of owning a gallery that can install artwork while also understanding the desires of collectors and clients, creating a unique intersection for business and creativity for Hemmings Gallery. And all of that with a personal touch—something that can easily get lost in today’s art world.

“Our artists are intellectually motivated and creatively inspired. They’re committed to producing art in their studios every week, regardless of where they are In their careers”

—Edward Hemmings

Hemmings Gallery has an exciting summer schedule of exhibitions, including a solo show featuring the notable and established contemporary Western artist Thom Ross, whom Edward has been following for decades and who has ties to Sun Valley. Creating a new body of work for Hemmings Gallery, Thom Ross has a special interest in the frontier West, characterized by its illustrative qualities and contemporary colors as a reflection of the West’s history. Ross’s work touches upon emotion, historic events, and figures, exploring the boundaries between reality and a larger-than-life perspective.

Ross depicts characters who embody the mythical and fabled West. Outlaws appear in numbers on horseback, larger than life in their billowing dusters. They have defined and pointed edges, much like arrows. Their identities remain hidden beneath wide-brimmed hats, yet a sense of mysticism associated with the West permeates the landscape, colors, and subjects. Ross employs a well-defined approach, ensuring that all his work signifies something much larger than the subject matter he depicts and identifies.

“Through my art, these stories can flow over you without preconceptions,” says Ross. “Whether a story is an invention by an author or a reality, it has a metaphorical meaning that transcends time. These parables and human impulses remain the same. You can have these moments. I am not making judgments. It is the profundity that, as an artist, is my job to communicate.”

“I am not making judgments. It is the profundity that, as an artist, is my job to communicate.”

— Thom Ross. Artist

Sarah Bird’s summer show Bright Shades is a collection of oil paintings referring to a type of haunting of the bright, a sense of the yin-yang nature of things. Bird draws on 19th-century techniques and 17th-century imaginative Flemish perspectives to weave still life and landscape into intimate tabletop worlds that occasionally tip into the surreal.

“My process is a lot like collage,” says Bird. “I paint without much planning and let my instincts guide my decisions. It’s not always efficient. Often, objects that I spent a lot of time on are edited out of the work and buried under the paint.” She adds, “Living in the West has informed much of my work. My first desire was to be a landscape painter, and I think that although I rarely paint outside now, I’m still driven by that elusive idea of ‘sense of place.’”

“My process is a lot like collage,” says Bird. “I paint without much planning and let my instincts guide my decisions. It’s not always efficient. Often, objects that I spent a lot of time on are edited out of the work and buried under the paint.” She adds, “Living in the West has informed much of my work. My first desire was to be a landscape painter, and I think that although I rarely paint outside now, I’m still driven by that elusive idea of ‘sense of place.’”

“painting is about the human mind and what our attention reveals about our character and our values.”

— Sarah Bird, Artist

“Painting is about the human mind and what our attention reveals about our character and our values,” she says. “I like a painting that doesn’t stay in the bounds of realism like Morris Graves, Gertrude Abercrombie, Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, and the exquisite painting and strange configurations that come from old masters like Jan van Eyck, Hugo van der Goes, and Francisco de Zurbaran.”

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