WILD Exhibition at Mirada Fine Art

Untamed and Unpredictable—Mirada Showcases ‘Wild’ side of Colorado

Opening night of 'WILD' at Mirada Fine Art on June 17, 2016

"If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit."

-Chief Seattle of the Suwamish Tribe, in a letter to President Franklin Pierce 

Copper Tritscheller, 'Curious Conversation,' Bronze Sculpture

Despite periodic efforts to contain it, the wild side of Colorado always resurfaces. To celebrate our adventurous cohabitation with an amazing array of furry and feathered friends and the sometimes primitive surroundings, Mirada Fine Art will host a group retrospective entitled ‘WILD.’ Converging on the gallery from near and far, several of Mirada’s perennial favorite artists, combined with a number of artists new to the gallery, will offer their interpretation of WILD and all that entails that helps make our state utterly unique.

Admiring Bruce Marion's 'Tatonka-Americana' at Mirada Fine Art's 'WILD' exhibition.

"This isn't about simply mirroring the wildlife we're so privileged to live among," explains gallery owner Steve Sonnen.  "We've deliberately brought together an unexpected mixture of artists to reflect the free-form nature of the artists themselves."  The majesty of the area will be recognized and reinvented by this eclectic and talented group of Mirada artists for an exhibit running from June 18 – July 10, 2016.

Artist Greg Dye discusses his artwork during the opening of 'WILD' at Mirada Fine Art.

Two of Mirada’s most popular artists anchor the show. Bruce Marion begins each of his pieces with a frenetic and abstract under painting. Like a sculptor chipping away, Bruce then subtracts information until a lush scene appears. Known for his luminous landscapes, Marion most recently has turned his brush to creating powerful impressionist wildlife.  Renowned equine artist Laurie Justus Pace will lend her passionate style, offering new work alive with graceful movement and power.  She describes her process akin to pareidolia, the term used to describe the phenomena of seeing animals in clouds or faces in the moon.

Mary Hartman's beautiful 'Morning Turnout' at the opening reception of Mirada Fine Art's 'WILD' exhibition.

Newcomers to the gallery, Daniel McClendon, Copper Tritscheller, Mary Hartman, Jessi West Lundeen and Greg Dye bring their own free-spirited take on the West. Animals are always the central figure in a Daniel McClendon painting. From a free form and chaotic beginning black and white under-painting, strong color and pattern take over and the animal appears, taking on the role of a totem—a spirit being to help us guide on our life journey. Sculptor Copper Tritscheller’s favorite subjects are the ‘misunderstood creatures,’ particularly bats and burros. Her bronzes push the boundaries between animal and human; hard-working and loyal burros teeter precariously on pedestals and bats, crucial to so many eco-systems, sport oversized wings suggestive of comic book heroes.

The artwork of Greg Dye, Jessi West Lundeen, and Mark Yale Harris at Mirada's 'WILD' exhibition.

Denver-based artist ,Greg Dye, creates wildly vibrant wildlife paintings and landscapes that don’t attempt to capture a realistic stagnant moment, but rather the inherent motion and spiritual energy of his subjects. Another Colorado artist, Jessi West Lundeen developed an abstracted style to capture the essence of the magnificence of her surroundings. Her latest body of work uses saturated color and bold lines to dissect the dichotomy between nature and humanity, often blending the two into an integrated piece. 

Artist Jessi West Lundeen discusses her artwork at Mirada Fine Art's 'WILD' exhibition.

Together, these talented artists should provide us all with an unexpected and spectacular journey exploring our wild life, leading to an even deeper appreciation of all the wildness nature has to offer.

Mirada Fine Art's 'WILD' exhibition runs from June 18th - July 10th.