Briscoe Western Art Museum | 2017-12

I was in San Antonio for a work trip and was able to visit the River Walk and the Briscoe Western Art Museum.  Of note, the Museum is free for Seniors and active military.  I never know what to expect when it comes to western art, but it was a nice building, price was right, and I can always pick up ideas.

As I said, it's a great building (this is from the river side).  On the right is the museum's pamphlet and flyer for the temporary exposition "That Day" which was 80 large-format pictures of life in the west.

Hunter in the Sky, 1999, bronze by Fritz White (1930-2010)

Bronzes are interesting to me.  There's the craft and skill in the sculpturing of the original, the work involved in actually making it a bronze, and the logistics of having a bronze (space).  And, like any art, there's the challenge of capturing and conveying the intent of the artist.  As you can imagine, there were plenty of horse-and-cowboy bronzes but I thought these two provided cool moments.  Fritz White did some large work...you might want to check out his website.  The Up River Man below is marked as "n.d." (no date) as were many items in the museum.  I found that odd.

Up River Man, bronze, no date, Fritz White (1930-2010)

How Many More, 2011, bronze, Blair Buswell (b 1956)

Most of the bronze work had great detail (one thing I have always liked about them) but this guy was impressive.  He's life size so maybe it was the scale that was more impressive than the actual details, but I thought the emotions were perfectly captured.

Left: And Stay Off, no date, oil on canvas, Oleg Stavrowsky (b 1927)

Right: Eagle Dancer Potawatomi, no date, oil on canvas, Z. S. Liang (b 1953)

I haven't departed from watercolor, but I am finding that I enjoy acrylic much better than I thought.  As a result, I have taking a different approach when viewing art.  These two caught my eye.  The soft, more realistic approach with the chief and the more abstract cowboy.  Loved the title of the rodeo piece (And Stay Off).  I like Stavrowsky's work.  Liang's work takes a completely different approach but he is, without question, an impressive artist.

Left: Feed in the Canyons, 2011, oil on canvas, Howard Post (b 1948).  Right: The Immortal Thirty-Two and their Dash for the Alamo, 2015, oil on canvas, Michael Ome Untiedt (b 1952)

I liked the style of Feed in the Canyons as it reminds me of a style you often see in western work.  I don't know if there's a label for this style, but I do enjoy it.  It broaches paint-by-number but clearly is not.  The Immortal Thirty-Two grabbed my attention because it brought me right into the moon-lit moment.

Left: Sundown, 1999, oil on canvas, John Moyers (b 1958)

Right: Voices in the Night, 1997, oil on canvas, John Moyers 

I dug both of these paintings because of the contrast.  When I paint, I struggle with contrast.  If i let myself go, the contrasts seem to reveal themselves and the final work is almost always better.  The cool thing is I took these two pictures (because of the style) but didn't realize it was the same artist until after the fact.

Mesquite Tree with Coyotes, Lambshead Ranch, Albany, Texas, 09 January 1988, print 2016

This was from the temporary exhibit, That Day, Pictures in the American West by Laura Wilson.  I took the picture because I thought it could make an interesting painting.  Kind of surreal and pretty random, but could easily make a point.  Did come across the Hutterites due to her pictures.  Had no idea about the Hutterites.

There were large reproductions of National Park posters - which I've always had a great (and timeless) style.  It said they were donated by the artists, Doug Leen and Brian Maebius.  Couldn't find much of them on the web, but I do appreciate their work.

People of note/reference (from Wilson's pictures); Edward Ruscha and Donald Judd.

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