A
lthough he lives more than 4,000 miles
away from the American West, Swedish
painter Gunnar Tryggmo relates deeply
to the wildlife of the West, particularly the
critters in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Bison, elk,
moose, pronghorn, waterfowl—each one is a
new opportunity to connect with the region
and its iconic inhabitants.
Tryggmo, who lives in the coastal village
of Viken, Sweden, which overlooks Denmarkfrom across the Øresund strait, is currently
showing his newest wildlife paintings in The
Wild Wonder, his first solo show in the United
States, at Turner Fine Art in Jackson Hole. Not
only will the works feature wildlife subjects,
but each one will be done in watercolor, an
unforgiving medium that Tryggmo has been
working in for the last five years.
“It can be very difficult to work with
watercolors. You can fix small things, but ifyou make a big mistake you can’t fix the whole
painting. At one point it’s best to just start
over,” the painter says. “I was first introduced
to it by an uncle, who was also an artist. He
encouraged me from a very early age and
helped me get a good start. He also taught me
to use the right paper and colors. It’s interesting
that in the United States watercolor is still
not that common. Most shows seem to be 90
percent oil or acrylic paint. In Europe there is aWonder from afar
UPCOMING SHOW
Up to 25 works
Through March 29, 2019
Turner Fine Art
545 N. Cache Street, Jackson Hole,
WY 83001 (307) 734-4444,
http://www.turnerfi neart.com
GUNNAR TRYGGMOSHOW LOCATION JACKSON HOLE, WY
Out of Nowhere, watercolor on paper, 22 x 30"