Table of contents for August/September 2025 in Southwest Art

THE EITELJORG MUSEUM’S Quest for the West Art Show and Sale comprises an array of traditional and contemporary imagery inspired by the vast and complex American West. The eagerly awaited annual event promises its usual fanfare, but this year that fanfare will be amplified as the museum celebrates 20 years of this landmark fundraiser. Quest for the West—which will have its art sale weekend September 5 and 6—features nearly 200 paintings and sculptures from 49 artists selected by the Eiteljorg’s Western Art Society, museum leadership and curatorial staff. The main event on Saturday, September 6, offers an opportunity for artists and guests to mingle before collectors vie for the artwork in a luck-of-the-draw sale. This format gives each collector who has entered the chance to be selected to purchase their favorite…

FOR YEARS, PRESTON SINGLETARY has been telling the episodic tale of Raven, the trickster god. Indeed, in Singletary’s hands and imagination, Raven’s tale, a staple in Indigenous spirituality, has become a world-building epic in glass. As in all epics, the tragic is never far away: worlds rise and fall, triumph and fail, and whenever humans are involved—or gods, for that matter—it isn’t long before nobility gives way to grasping desire. Things fall apart; the center cannot hold, as the poet Yeats wrote. What’s left? What’s always left at the end of the epic, once it has devolved to the tragic: satire. In Banana Republic of Raven, the new collaboration between Singletary and author Garth Stein, opening at Blue Rain Gallery in August, Raven, “an eternal optimist in a world gone…

IN 2016, HUSBAND-AND-WIFE artists Mark Maggiori and Petecia Le Fawnhawk opened an artist-run, one-night exhibition in Los Angeles. The event, titled The Far West Show, featuring their work as well as pieces from their artist friends, was a passionate celebration of Western art. Last year, it returned for its second outing as an independent show in New York City. This year, on September 12 and 13, the third iteration will take place at Preacher Gallery in Austin, Texas. “Far West isn’t a typical quiet gallery show; it feels more like a gathering under open skies,” says Le Fawnhawk. “We blend visual art with live music, local artisans and youthful energy. It’s artist-run and free-spirited, so there’s a freedom and inclusivity you won’t find in formal galleries. We’re creating an experience…

MORE LIKE A MUSEUM than an exhibition hall, InSight Gallery is housed in a gorgeously restored historic building dating back to 1907. With 8,000 square feet of open, well-lit show space divided over two levels, the high ceilings and ample walls make for a fantastic backdrop for the 15th annual Fall Group Showcase. Typically, the exhibition features a majority of InSight’s represented painters and sculptors, who work in landscape, figurative, impressionistic, still life, wildlife, Western and Native American art. Gallery co-owner Elizabeth Harris, along with her husband, Stephen, expect around 60 artists to participate, with roughly 100 pieces in the show. “Fall is one of those transitional seasons where we start looking forward to the next few months as we’re coming out of summer and vacation mode,” explains Elizabeth. “This…

FOR OVER A CENTURY, the Santa Fe Indian Market has been one of the most highly regarded events dedicated to the talent, creativity and culture of Indigenous artists. Hosted by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, this market has grown over the years by adding and reshaping events to keep them fresh and exciting for attendees. While exhibitors will line the streets of Santa Fe for two days, the entire city has become an epicenter for happenings associated with SWAIA and beyond. This year’s 103rd annual Indian Market includes artists working in categories such as jewelry, basketry, two-dimensional (paintings, mixed media and photography—to name a few), sculpture, carvings, pottery and more. They will set up their tents around downtown Santa Fe on August 16 and 17, with visitors able to…

THE ADOBE FINE ART Ruidoso, NM (575) 257-5795 | theadobefineart.com The work of Lyuba Titovets offers a distinctive art experience through lyrical, symbolic and whimsical elements blended with humor, native charm and technical skill. According to the gallery, her hope is that her work “will provide viewers with an escape from their worries, inspire positive thoughts or dreams, or at the very least, evoke a smile.” Of her painting HARMONY OF THE EXOTIC WORLD, Titovets writes on her website, “This painting holds a secret message because every object represents a quality. For example, white tulips represent respect; chrysanthemums symbolize loyalty and devoted love, longevity and happiness; grapes represent wealth, abundance, prosperity and fertility. It’s a whole life in front of you.” BARBARA MEIKLE FINE ART Santa Fe, NM (505) 992-0400…

WHILE SOME ARTISTS observe their subjects from a distance, painter Erika Victor prefers a more immersive approach. For her Western-themed oil paintings, she finds inspiration by shadowing workers, riding alongside cattle ranchers and experiencing their world firsthand. “The best way to understand my subjects is to be there, with a camera, not a lasso,” she says. “I ride with the cattle hands and try to get into the mindset of the scene I want to paint.” Her on-the-job observational studies began with a show organized through the Cowgirl Artists of America that partnered her with a ranch. That experience led to her current focus: cattle women. “I don’t see them represented in many Western galleries. It’s always cowboys,” she says. “I wanted to show the reality I see when I…

THE DESIGN-FORWARD paintings of Brett Allen Johnson are easily recognizable for their style and color palette. However, the artist’s signature aesthetic didn’t appear overnight; rather, he developed it through years of observation and explorations in mark-making. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Johnson continues pushing the limits of what he can do with paint. It is that way of thinking that has allowed his work to be at once surprising and familiar. “I’m never settled with technique, and always looking for new themes. Lately I have been layering and focusing on texture and color, along with design and form,” Johnson says. “I use lots of different paint handling and design styles, and try to let them be subservient to the bigger idea for a painting. Most importantly, as…

FEATURING SOME 16 oil paintings and works on paper, the newest exhibition for renowned Diné (Navajo) artist Tony Abeyta shares his vibrant, ever-evolving explorations and celebrations of Southwestern and Western landscapes and the deep meanings he finds within them. The artist will be present to greet guests at the opening reception on August 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Owings Gallery’s Palace Avenue location in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Abeyta has long been respected for the power his scenes possess not only to convey the geology, wildlife, weather and people of the Southwest and West, but also to magically express the natural and spiritual forces thrumming within them. “Painting enables me to make works of art that are experiential, expressing my personal, spiritual connection to everything and everybody…

FOUNDED IN FRANCE in the 19th century, impressionism has maintained a strong presence in the United States in part because of the American Impressionist Society. One example of the organization’s passion for sharing the style is through its National Juried Exhibition, which will host its 26th annual event from August 1 to September 2 at Cassens Fine Art in Hamilton, Montana. “AIS is so pleased to partner with Cassens Fine Art in the stunning Bitterroot Valley of western Montana,” says Liz Ahrens, the society’s executive director. “In fact, this is the first exhibition AIS has held in Montana. Cassens Fine Art is highly respected and has a sterling reputation for their professionalism with both artists and collectors.” Around 1,750 works were submitted for consideration for this year’s event, which was…

IN A NEW IMMERSIVE exhibition, The Erosion of Time: A Digital Compilation of Works by Des Lucréce and Dean Mitchell, on view September 6, 2025, to April 30, 2026, at the Museum of Art + Light in Manhattan, Kansas, technology animates and adds movement and duration to the imagery of two artists. It augments the storytelling of the art and makes life, as the artists see it, larger than life. Alongside the immersive exhibition, the MoA+L showcases Dean Mitchell’s paintings in a traditional wall-hung show, Heritage & the Human Condition, from August 20, 2025, through March 8, 2026, giving audiences the chance to see his art in its original form. Time—the beauties of its effects and the ravages of its passage—is, in my mind, the true, profound subject of Mitchell’s…

1 ON THE LINE Scottsdale Art Auction will host a live online sale on August 23 with more than 400 lots available to purchase. The event, which begins at 9 a.m. Arizona time, will include historic and contemporary artwork. A major highlight of the auction is the 10-foot-tall bronze HE IS THEY ARE (est. $75,000-$125,000) by Glenna Goodacre (1939-2020). Two paintings by Martin Grelle—RIVER SOLITUDE and HUNTER’S MORNING—will cross the block with estimates at $30,000 to $40,000 and $50,000 to $75,000, respectively. Other names represented in the sale include E.I. Couse, Joe Beeler, Allan Houser and Ed Mell. scottsdaleartauction.com 2 A Special Series Painter Walt Gonske has long been fascinated by churches and cemeteries, and he has even traveled to various states and countries to capture their beauty on his…

FROM THE GRAND CANYON and the desert Four Corners region, to the woodlands and streams of the Rocky Mountains, the varied landscapes of the American West invite visitors to revel in nature’s grandeur. How appropriate then that artist Brad Teare should represent such settings through oil paints he generously and dynamically applies to canvases with palette knives, creating textured scenes that invite viewers’ eyes to explore. Teare’s sensuous approach to such subjects is on display in around 15 paintings for a new show, appropriately titled Painted Earth: The Impasto West, at Legacy Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from September 19 to 29. The artist will be present on the 19th from 5 to 7 p.m. for the opening reception—at which, he says, “I’ll be more than happy to say…

THIS SEPTEMBER, the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming, will host the 38th year of its largest and longest-running fundraiser, the Western Visions Art Show + Sale. A key experience of the citywide Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, the 2025 Western Visions will see more than 170 wildlife artists participate. “We truly have something for everyone,” says Madison Webb Stanko, the museum’s chief marketing officer. “From traditional wildlife art to contemporary interpretations, we have a breadth and depth of styles, subject matter and media. What ties the group together is their excellence as wildlife artists.” The show opens Saturday, September 6, with a party for participating artists and VIP ticket holders following on Wednesday, September 10. The signature art sale happens Thursday, September 11. Artworks are sold via…

DALE TERBUSH PAINTS light the way some people write poetry—reverently, instinctively and always choosing emotion over precision. During the exhibit Two Sides to Terbush at Blue Rain Gallery in Durango, Colorado, the prolific painter will present a body of work split between two sides of the same coin: his signature luminous dreamscapes and a striking perspective of angular, abstract landscapes that bend light like shards of stained glass. For Terbush, who led a celebrated career as a restaurant interior designer before dedicating himself full time to painting, the evolution of his artistic voice has never been about market trends or technical polish. “I never had any formal training,” he says. “I just put down what I feel and see in my heart.” That sentiment translates powerfully onto canvas. His more…

PAINTER PEGGY IMMEL and her husband, the photographer Steve Immel, have long been captivated by the desert landscapes of the American Southwest. For their sixth biennial exhibition, titled Roadside Attractions, at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art in Taos, New Mexico, the pair turns to locales they’ve explored in paint and in film countless times but with fresh perspectives that showcase the majesty of the natural world. For her art, Peggy examines why she is painting a scene rather than what she is painting by writing her thoughts in her sketchbook before embarking on each composition. She says, “This process keeps me focused as I paint. The why can be visual. It might be the cast of the light, the colors, the patterns of light and dark. Or there might be a…