ArtStroll celebrates love for all things western

The Second-Friday ArtStroll in downtown Thermopolis, July 10, 5-8 p.m., will feature western artists and musicians. Most downtown businesses are open during the event. Several artists will be demonstrating on Still Strolling Saturday, July 11.

The featured artist and host business have a lot in common. The featured western artist is Cindy Clancy. Clancy loves antiques, so the treasures she finds becomes her next “canvas.” Considering her deep love for horses, many of her paintings center around horses or western scenes.  

Horseback riding allows Clancy to see the natural interplay of light and color and shadows. Living in Wyoming gives her great opportunities to photograph old buildings, mountain views, and beautiful scenes on horseback, inspiring some of Clancy’s favorite landscape paintings. She loves to paint barns and other scenes from everyday rural life. 

Clancy will be located in the host business, REMAX ALL-STAR REALTORS. ReMax also loves our western way of life and is happy to support this month’s ArtStroll. Start your ArtStroll at ReMax and be sure to drop off your signed map to ReMax at the end of Friday’s Stroll for a chance to win some great gifts.

Jennifer Taylor (Owl Creek Graphics) is one of the featured western folk artists. In 2009 Taylor wanted to get a few goats and decided on the Toggenburgs and Nubians. Her first milk doe was a toggenburg/nubian cross doe which gives about a gallon of milk a day. In 2012 the goats began giving way more milk than was needed so Jennifer decided to play with soap making.

“I finally have a product that I love making and using. From the very beginning of the process, kidding season, to the final stage, selling the soap, I truly have fallen in love with what I do and the animals that have made it possible.” said Taylor.

Claudia Augustin (Nature’s Corner), another ArtStroll artist, has been collecting photos of her travels for many years. Since she has moved to Thermopolis she has been inspired to begin compiling her collection for an ArtStroll exhibit. She has been particularly interested in the artistic effects that are possible in photography with the advent of digital technology. Augustin also does drawings. She is looking forward to working on her art interests. 

“Thermopolis is a beautiful place.  I planned to retire here, and was pleased to find an active art community.” Augustin said.

Flying Eagle Gallery will have an opening reception Friday evening for western artist Diane Axtell.  Axtell’s work will be on display the month of July. Axtell is a 5th generation cattle rancher and artist from Thermopolis with painting studios in Denver, Colorado and Thermopolis. A graduate of The Art Institute of Colorado in Visual Communication Axtell has studied in a handful of artists studios in Denver but still considers herself very much a beginner on the path. “Painting feels to me very much like connecting to a universal hub of energy which an enormous circle of other painters belong to and being a conduit for energy or communication that often has very little to do with me. I’m just showing up to the palette.”

A special treat will be spray paint artist Joe Moon (Storyteller) and his chalk art and graffiti art. You’ll find Joe’s art on the sidewalks as he demonstrates how to draw a 3-D picture on a flat surface.

Other artists this month include Glenda Ramsey, painting/multimedia (Ramsey Gallery); Sallie Wesaw, multi-media (Wesaw Studio); Mona Wilson, hand-painted country collectibles (Hazel N Pearls); Andrey Linn, spinner and other textile arts; Joyce Fletcher and Bernice Balog (WOW Store); Jennie Blakesley, jewelry (Storyteller) and Barbara Clothier, mixed media (City Rags).

Musicians will be playing at several locations during the ArtStroll, including Mike Howland (Wesaw Studio); Stepheny Butcher (Ramsey Gallery); and Shawn McWilliams & Rick Phipps (City Rags).

The Second-Friday ArtStroll and Still Strolling Saturday are organized by Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation and Smoking Waters Art Guild with additional help from Main Street Thermopolis and Hot Springs Travel & Tourism.