George Carlson Article from Wildlife Art Journal

I had to share this terrific article about George Carlson written by Todd Wilkinson from Wildlife Art Journal.  If you've never checked out the Wildlife Art Journal, it's terrific and always has compelling articles.  George Carlson will be speaking next month at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame's Prix de West Show.  Get your tickets now, the Prix de West is one of the premier Museum shows in the country!  Here's the LINK for Todd's article about George.

Speaking of wildlife art, June 8th is the opening for the Coeur d'Alene Galleries' "Artists Gone Wild" Show.  We'll be featuring works by wildlife artists Tim Shinabarger, Chad Poppleton, David Graham, Joe Kronenberg, Cliff Rossberg, and Terry Isaac. Join us in the gallery from 5-8pm on Friday, June 8th.

Tim Shinabarger's Canyon Lands

David Graham's Pronghorn Pride

Terry Isaac's Hunter's Moon

Chad Poppleton's Prairie Oasis

Cliff Rossberg's Riverside Relaxation

Strengthening Iraqi Relations with Martin Grelle's Art

Valley Guardian by Martin Grelle

I have to share a wonderful story.  A colonel from the U.S. Army came into the gallery while he was home from Iraq.  His name was Colonel Greg Adams.  He was slowly taking in all the tremendous art we had on the walls at the time.  Ok, so I'm a little bias, but I think the work we carry at Coeur d'Alene Galleries is tremendous.  Anyways, we started visiting and he was very taken with the quality of Martin Grelle's work.  Now, we've always carried both original works and limited edition giclees from Greenwich Workshop or Somerset Fine Art, and the colonel went on and on how he wished he could purchase one, but just couldn't justify it on his military salary.  There was one work in particular that caught his eye, and it was called The Valley Guardian by Martin Grelle.  It was a limited edition giclee, and the colonel was attracted to this specific painting because it reminded him of the valley he was in while he was in Iraq, and he thought it would be the perfect gift for an Iraqi general he had built a relationship with.  The Iraqi general was working with the U.S. to expel Al Qaeda operatives in his valley, and he always talked about seeing "the West" and having something that represented "the West."  Colonel Greg Adams thought this would be the perfect gift to help strengthen his relationship with Brigadier General Hatm and the rest of his tribe in Iraq.  I thought it was a great idea, so we worked out a deal and to my surprise, about a year later, Colonel Adams came by the gallery again and gave me a picture and said that General Hatm loved the painting, and was honored to have "a piece of the West."  I was really touched and I was glad I could be a small part of a wonderful story.  There are so many benefits to owning art, and I think this story confirms the significance of art and how it represents our culture and how sharing art is a peaceful way to share different cultures.  Who would have ever thought, that a small piece of art by a talented artist from Texas, purchased in Idaho, would make its way to Iraq to help strengthen our relationship with tribal leaders and generals of Iraq with the common goal to expel Al Qaeda operatives and promote overall safety for their people?  Below is the picture, and below the picture is what Colonel Adams sent me via email.  Every chance you get, thank our armed forces, because they fight for the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis and sometimes take for granted.

Colonel Greg Adams and Brigadier General Hatm with Martin Grelle's Valley Guardian

Recently, Colonel Adams came into the gallery and reminded me of this great story, so I thought I would share what Colonel Adams sent me in an email after the exchange.

"Here is the photo of myself and then New Iraqi Army Brigadier General Hatm in January 2010 where I presented him with a painting from your gallery in Coeur d'Alene depicting a Native American warrior watching over his village. General Hatm is next in line to be his tribal chief and was very courageous leading his tribe to detect and extinguish Al Qaeda operatives from his region. He was deeply touched by the painting which helped forge a bond between our two countries. Thanks again for your support of our military and the great country where we live."

Best,

Colonel Greg Adams
U.S Army Reserves

No, THANK YOU, Colonel Adams!

Heritage Auctions: Western Signature Auction - Dallas

Joseph Sharp's Bawling Deer by Firelight

Heritage Auctions will be presenting their Western Signature Auction in Dallas, TX on May 5, 2012. The sale starts at 12:00pm central time.  While Heritage's Art of the American West Sale held in November of 2011 realized $2,280,248, that was in large part due to the world records set for a couple of William Leigh works, and it's going to be tough sledding for Heritage to match that number with this sale.  Heritage Auctions continues to try and grow their share of the competitive Western art auction market and are in good hands under the leadership of Kirsty Buchanan.  It's not a huge sale with 114 lots, but there are some nice feature works available.  The catalog cover piece is Bawling Deer by Firelight, circa 1930 by Joseph Sharp.  It's a nice 20 x 16 inch oil on canvas estimated $100,000-$120,000.  While the Sharp market has been pretty soft the last few years, it seems to be recovering.  A 17 x 14 inch oil by Sharp titled Taos Indian Hunter sold in Scottsdale last month for $103,500 after being estimated $60,000-$80,000 and I think it's a very comparable painting.  A 16 x 20 inch oil titled Campfire sold at Stuart Holman Auctioneer in October of 2011 for $149,500.  Ancient Songs measuring 16 x 20 inches sold last July at the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction for $152,100 and it was a real gem in my opinion.  Bawling Deer was one of Sharp's favorite models and has become a somewhat iconic figure in Sharp's work.

One painting that I personally like is Kathryn Leighton's Around the Fire measuring 36 x 44 inches.  It's estimate is $12,000-$16,000 which is a nice fair estimate.  While the figure on the right doesn't compare in quality to the figure on the left, it's a good size painting, and similar paintings have gone for as much as $33,000.  The most recent comparable was sold in 2008 by Bonhams in San Francisco for $20,400 that was the same size titled White Dog, Blackfeet.  Another comparable painting sold in 2006 for $17,920 and it also had two figures and was the same size.  Here's a nice biography if you want to read more about Kathryn Leighton.

Kathryn Leighton's Around the Fire



R. Brownel McGrew's Children of the Sun, 1989

Another painting to keep your eye on is R. Brownell McGrew's Children of the Sun, 1989.  It's a 36 x 66 inch oil estimated $100,000-$150,000.  McGrew's record is $962,500, and a recent comparable painting sold last September in Jackson for $258,750 and it was titled Going on a Visit.  "Children of the Sun" illustrates the best of McGrew's talents as an artist and storyteller. The setting is the sun drenched, multi-colored desert and mountain landscape of the Navaho reservation. He has populated his canvas with several Navaho children in traditional dress which is painted in intricate detail. Most likely these are people that the artist knew well and whom he had observed on many occasions. The figure of the small girl in the foreground is a motif that he frequently used in his paintings. The work can be seen simultaneously as an overall scene of Navaho life on the reservation and as a series of small individual vignettes.

Frank McCarthy's From th eMeadows of the Beartooth, 1991

Finally, be sure to keep an eye on Frank McCarthy's From the Meadows of the Beartooth, 1991.  It's an 18 x 40 inch oil estimated $20,000-$40,000.  McCarthy's work consistently sells well at auction, so you always want to be prepared in case one slips through the crack.  This particular painting has just about everything you want in a nice McCarthy:  action, rocks, a nice landscape, etc.  The figures might be a tad small, but the perspective is vintage McCarthy.  All in all, there are plenty of familiar names in the sale like George Hallmark, Jim Norton, Harley Brown, Clyde Aspevig, Nicholas Coleman, Frank Hoffman, John Clymer, Edgar Paxson, Eanger Couse, Edward Borein and Thomas Moran.  When building a lasting collection, you want to try and acquire the best example of an artist's work as you can within your price range.  Now, I know Sothebys and Christies have 25% buyer's premiums, but that's significantly higher than the average at other major Western art auction houses.  From a consignor standpoint, that's going to hurt the hammer price, which in turn hurts what the consignor nets from the sale.  Plus, that's just a bitter pill to swallow when you know that a quarter of what you're paying is just a buyer's premium.

Bonhams: California, Western and Sculpture Sale

Mt. McKinley by Eustace Ziegler; 40" x 48"

Bonhams and Butterfields of San Francisco will be presenting their California, Western and Sculpture Sale on May 1st.  There's only a few pieces that really jump out at me.  The first is the large Eustace Ziegler titled Mt. McKinley measuring 40 x 48 inches.  It's estimated $50,000 - $70,000.  While Ziegler did a number of paintings that are similar with Mt. McKinley looming in the background and either figures or pack horses in the foreground, a painting of this size is very rare.  In Kesler Woodward's 1998 book Spirit of the North: The Art of Eustace Paul Ziegler, there are only two similar paintings that are comparable in size and one is a behemoth 48 x 114 inches.  Last July at the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction, a 16" x 14" oil titled Packhorses Below Mt. McKinley sold for a strong $32,175.  In 2004, a 16" x 20" oil titled Pack Train Near Mt. McKinley sold for $28,000 plus the juice at the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction.  The record price for an Eustace Ziegler painting at auction is $47,600, so there's a fair chance that the upcoming painting at Bonhams could set a new record for a Ziegler work because of the size, rarity, and it's a subject matter you would expect as a collector of Ziegler's work.

Plains Indian Warrior, 1894 by Henry Farny; 16" x 11"

The next painting that jumps out at me is by Henry Farny titled Southern Plains Indian Warrior, 1894.  It's a 16 x 11 inch gouache on paper estimated $100,000 - $150,000.  It's a classic Farny composition with the focus on an isolated figure surrounded by lavenders and sage greens that were common in Farny's work.  I especially like the detail in the headdress and breastplate.  A comparable painting measuring 8.25" x 10" titled On The Firing Line was estimated $60,000-$90,000 in 2009 and sold post auction for $45,000 in Reno at the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction.  Now that's what I would consider a "recession-buy" because it's a nice painting sold at the wrong time.  In 2006, during a strong art market, The Apache sold for $156,800 and only measured 5.7" x 4".  In 2008 at a Christie's sale, The Warrior measuring 15" x 9" was estimated $300,000 - $500,000 but it passed.  I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess the reserve was too high, because that estimate is pretty aggressive.  However, it's a comparable painting done during his most prolific time period (1890-1906) so I think the pre-sale estimate of $100,000-$150,000 for Plains Indian Warrior, 1894 is fair and the fact that the subject matter is a plains Indian, probably Sioux, is a nice collection factor.

Although it's not a traditional Southwest subject matter, I personally like the E.M. Henning's painting titled Hands of Toil, Choiggia, Italy because you can just see the life and stories in the woman's hands and facial expression.  It also has a strong provenance coming from the artist's widow.  It's also a pretty good size, but $50,000-$70,000 might be a tad aggressive.  If I had $50,000 to spend on a Hennings, I would rather acquire one of his wildlife paintings with the aspens, but who's asking me?  Beware of a couple of the Frank Tenney Johnson paintings because they're unsigned.  After the Shower in the Land of Crows by Edgar Paxson was offered by John Moran Auctioneers in February of 2010 with an estimate of $40,000-$60,000 and passed, so it's estimated more accurately at $10,000-$15,000.

E.M. Hennings Hands of Toil, Choiggia, Italy

Edgar Paxson Shower in the Land of Crows