Gallery 1261 presents RETHINKING WESTERN January 11, 2013

Gallery 1261 presents

RETHINKING WESTERN

January 11 through February 23, 2013

Opening Reception: Friday, January 11, 2013, 5:00-8:00 PM



Denver, CO. Gallery 1261 spotlights the shift in current thinking and trends in art coming out of the American West with an exhibition highlighting artists known for their contemporary take on the realities of life the western United States. RETHINKING WESTERN opens in conjunction with the opening of the Coors Western Art Exhibit at the National Western Stock Show, January 12-27, 2013, and features new works by Carolyn Anderson, Gordon Brown, Mark Daily, Floyd DeWitt, Ulrich Gleiter, Quang Ho, Michael Lynch, Mike Malm, Jim Morgan, Grant Redden, Matt Smith, Jill Soukup, and Michael Workman.



For realist artists who live and work in the West, standing apart from the illustrators of the past—the Remingtons and Russells—has often proven a steep climb. The desire to look back and create work sans telephone poles and motor vehicles is tempting, but for artists who hope to propel the conversation forward, there simply isn’t enough meat on that bone.



Take Colorado artist Jill Soukup, for example. A rising star nationally, Soukup often depicts the industrial structures of Denver, not in a sentimental or romantic way, but in her painterly, nearly abstracted conceptualizations. “I first became interested in architecture in college through a photography assignment that lead me to an old factory with great lines. For me, painting architecture—old warehouses and factories—goes back to a core essence, to an abstract quality.” Soukup, who is also known for her unusual, close-in paintings of horses and riders, says that her approach to painting the abstracted qualities of urban buildings emerged out of her paintings of animals. “I often zero in on a portion of the building, a window or door. This is a direct result from painting horses and bison, especially when it comes to texture. The things I learned in painting the texture of an animal I take to buildings to give them a more organic look.”



“The West isn’t provincial anymore,” said Mark Daily, who has, for more than four decades, been part of the ever growing list of artists swimming upstream against the outdated romanticism that had dominated the art of the West, by portraying the urbanization of the West. “The art world doesn’t center around New York anymore. That notion has become obsolete.”



RETHINKING WESTERN offers viewers a contemporary look art that speaks of the subjects that define the West today. Through their unique vision and voice, these thirteen are part of the ever growing legion of artists who strive to redefine Western Art.



Gallery 1261 presents RETHINKING WESTERN

January 11 through February 23, 2013 - Opening Reception: Friday, January 11, 2013, 5:00-8:00 p.m. 1261 Delaware St, Denver, CO 80204. 303-571-1261 | 888-626-1261 - Hours: Tue - Sat, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.



For more information, please contact Christine Serr, 720-404-5074.