May Event at the Gallery....

Stop by the Gallery in May for our Pre-Season Preview -

Fridays: Noon - 4 pm and Saturdays: 9 am - Noon...

or anytime by appointment or chance.

Our first visitor of the morning...

I took this photo of the bison that 'browsed' by our gallery this morning. Not many towns have bison grazing down the main road!

Sometimes It Snows In April

Sometimes It Snows In April - study

by Shirl Ireland

Seems to be an appropriate time to announce this.... Sometimes It Snows In April was juried into the Custer County Art and Heritage Center Show which ended last month. BUT, at the end of the show a select few were chosen for a traveling exhibit which tours through the end of the year. I'm honored to have had this painting chosen for the traveling exhibit.

The scene depicts a very messy but memorable day, just about this time last year. I was heading into Yellowstone Park often, looking for the first bison calf of the year. Unfortunately for the new calf, it was a very messy morning to arrive. I did a plein air painting with coyotes yipping nearby and wolves howling in the distance. I went back in at the end of the day to a different scene.... the herd was out of sight now, but I could see one mother bison with her new born calf fending off an advancing black wolf. I watched for quite sometime as they 'jousted' back and forth. Eventually they disappeared from sight over a ridge.

The title for the study was easy - There's an old, very mellow, melancholy Prince song whose lyrics run through my mind every time I say it.... Sometimes it snows in April, sometimes I feel so bad.....It certainly went with the mood of the day.

Juried into the Hockaday Museum's Minatures & More Show

Blue Ribbon by Shirl Ireland Oil on linen 9" x 12"

Exciting news! My plein air painting, Blue Ribbon, was juried into the Hockaday Museum's Miniature and More Show. The show culminates with a benefit auction in May. I'll ship the painting out this week. Also, I'm working on a smaller 4"x6" sketch that I'll send along as a 100% donation toward the auction. I'll post a photo of the sketch when it's complete, along with more details of the Show.

Blue Ribbon was from a plein air 'marathon' in Yellowstone last fall. I was on a mission -- And what a fun day it was!... I painted Yellowstone Lake, a scene in Hayden Valley and then finished up with this painting near Ice Lake (not too far from Norris Junction). The challenge of this painting was to 'catch the light'. Clouds were rolling in and out, but when the sun was out, the colors were absolutely glorious! I certainly was inspired to paint it....So I'd wait for a sunny glimpse and 'paint like mad'. Sometimes the 'rush' from plein air painting can be like drinking 10 cups of coffee - that's how this one felt. I didn't even notice my cold feet!