COLLECTOR'S FOCUS
WESTERN LANDSCAPESO
ne of the earliest references to the
adage that March “comes in like a
Lion, goes out like a Lamb” occurred in- Its interpretations are nearly as varied as
March weather. At the beginning of March it’s
winter. At the end, it’s spring. Some note that
in late-February, early-March, the constellation
Leo (the lion) is rising in the east and by the
end of the month Aries (the ram) is setting in
the west.
The in-betweenness of the season can
be seen in Robert Moore’s Vestiges of
Winter. The snow has begun to melt in the
mountains, and the trees and grasses of the
valley are still dormant, getting ready to
burst into bloom. Brought up in Idaho and
living in the Snake River Basin, Moore often
paints in plein air, absorbing the energy of a
scene and expressing it in his characteristic
lush brushstrokes and often vivid color.
The landscape of the farmland in the basin
gradually rises to mountain peaks, giving him
a constant source of inspiration.
The Western landscape is also as varied
as March weather—prairies, mountains,
deserts and even the sea. Lockwood de Forest
(1850-1932) grew up and was educated
among the cultural elite of the east coast’s
Gilded Age. His great uncle, by marriage, was
Frederic Church (1826-1900), who became
his mentor. After a career in interior design he
settled in Santa Barbara, California, captivated
by the light and rugged coast. Point Lobos
Veteran Tree (Monterey), 1911, is a dramatic
composition of a dramatic site. The Veteran
Tree is a Monterey cypress and was about 100
years old when de Forest painted it. Today it
sits even more precariously on the rocky coast.
De Forest placed it as a horizontal element
in a diagonal composition, its branches just
touching the horizon, anchoring the image as
it is anchored to the rocks.The vast skies of the West, especially those
of northern New Mexico, are the setting for
some of nature’s most dramatic weather events
and captivating cloud forms. Jeff Aeling’s
Storm Passing at Twilight - New Mexico is one
of those scenes. Aeling often paints in the
“golden hour” just before sunset. “It’s the time
of day when things get a lot more interesting,”
he says. He adds, “I want to capture transitory
light.” Whether painting on Long Island or in
Colorado, his low horizons invite the viewer
into the scene to experience the drama of the
changing light and weather.
Walt Gonske lives in Taos, New Mexico,
and captures one of the area’s two fall foliage
seasons in Far Bank Cottonwoods. After the
aspens in the mountains have finished their
display of yellow, the valley cottonwoods
bring their own. Growing along the river
banks, they form yellow ribbons through the
landscape. Gonske expresses the landscape- Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Far Bank Cottonwoods, oil on panel, 18 x 24", by Walt Gonske. 3. Trailside Galleries, Vestiges of Winter, oil on canvas,
24 x 48", by Robert Moore. 4. Sullivan Goss, Point Lobos Veteran Tree (Monterey), oil on cardstock, 9¾ x 14", by Lockwood de Forest (1850-1932).
2