Uncategorized
Celebrating Montana history
Published
8 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersArt gallery opens new showroom
By Jessianne Wright EBS Contributor
BIG SKY – A variety of museum-quality artwork is now on display beneath the clock tower in Big Sky’s Town Center, a result of Creighton Block Gallery opening its third location in January.
The pieces, all forms of Western art, range in date from 1840 to 2015, but all share in their historical accuracy and quality, reflecting owner and gallery director Colin Mathews’ passion for Montana history.
Later this month, Creighton Block will join with Gallatin River Gallery and the Arts Council of Big Sky to host the Auction for the Arts at Lone Mountain Ranch on Thursday, March 24.
The clock tower display room has pieces arranged with plenty of space to create a sense of volume, according to Courtney Collins, assistant to the gallery director. An informational booklet provides background and context to the older works, which were made available by Tierney Fine Arts; however, the gallery staff is a valuable resource into the layers behind each piece of art, including those more recently completed.
As one example, Mathews described important nuances and gave context to his early February window display.
The vibrant colors of Kevin Red Star’s depiction of the Crow Indian way of life in “Night Owl” were complemented by a lightly patinaed bronze sculpture by Greg Woodard, titled “Taking on Jupiter,” in which a buffalo charges an on-coming train. Historical accuracy is in the details, Mathews explained, pointing out important cultural motifs in Red Star’s work and historical facts related to Woodard’s title and rendition.
“Art is not just a visual decoration for me,” Mathews said. “When it carries stories, it is most wonderful.”
Mathews also described Tom Gilleon’s modern perception for his new “pixoil” digital creations, which he said, “bridge between historical or representational painting and very contemporary design.”
In one of his new-media digital artworks Gilleon depicts a fox hunting a rabbit near a solitary tipi. A series of paintings were folded together with software technology to produce the video, a process which has been repeated for two other gallery pieces, as well as several commissioned works.
Mathews first opened his gallery in Virginia City, in an 1867 stone building listed on the National Historic Register as a part of the Creighton block section of town. The name seemed to fit, and has carried over since the move to Big Sky in 2010. From the gallery’s name to its featured pieces to its historic artists, Montana history is all apparent at Creighton Block.
Artists Tom Gilleon and Greg Woodard, among others, will attend the Auction for the Arts event, participating in a “quick-finish” session where they complete a work of art at the event and the final pieces are auctioned off later in the evening. Half the proceeds will directly benefit the Arts Council of Big Sky, while the remainder will be distributed among participating artists.
“[The auction] is for art lovers, and showcases not only the best artists in Montana, but the growing community of artists we have right here in Big Sky,” said ACBS Executive Director Brian Hurlbut, adding that local artists will be featured in a silent auction. The live auction will highlight the work by the 10 “quick-finish” participants.
Mathews welcomes visitors to his gallery, and also plans to host an artist meet-and-greet either before the Auction for the Arts, or the following day.
Tickets for the Auction for the Arts are available through the Arts Council of Big Sky, and must be purchased in advance. Visit bigskyarts.org for more information.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome to come, if you don’t know who to bring come alone this is a great mixer event! This is an event hosted by Big Sky OUT as we work to provide queer safe spaces throughout the community.
Time
(Sunday) 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Cowboy Coffee
25 Town Center Ave. Big Sky, MT 59716