Page 18 - the NOISE January 2014

18 • january 2014 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us
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Nankoweap Canyon by Sam Jones is an example of the watercolorist’s eye at West of the Moon.
ors of Grand Canyon where he worked as a river guide for many years.
Ms. Jones loves the easy mobility of his medium — being able to pull his painting supplies out of an ammo can on a river trip or out of a backpack on a hike. The simplic- ity of being able to quickly implement a vi- sion using a few good brushes, water and some paint and paper continues to inspire him. He sometimes uses watercolors done in the field as a study to paint larger wa- tercolors and oil paintings back home in his studio. But he finds painting outdoors the most satisfying, the results more spon- taneous and fresh than what occurs in the studio.
“When I start a painting, I try not to have too many expectations about where it might lead me,” says Mr. Jones. “I try to paint as directly as possible and not la- bor over any one part of the painting too much, especially early in the process. As humans we tend to see the big picture first, then the details emerge. My paint- ings progress from the general to specific as well. When I start a painting I try to nail down the big shapes and relationships simply and accurately. The more harmoni- ously and economically these big shapes and relationships are painted, the stronger the painting will ultimately be. Painting outdoors facilitates the process of estab- lishing a strong foundation in a painting. Being immediately inspired by what I see and not having much time to waste since the light and painting conditions are con- stantly changing, contribute to my chanc- es of getting the primary relationships cor- rect and not over complicating them.”
An artists’ reception will be held at West
of the Moon Gallery, 14 N. San Francisco St. during the First Friday ArtWalk January 3, from 6PM to 9PM. WestoftheMoonGal- lery.com
PiVotAL tRANSitioNS, CoLLeCted tRAditioNS
Ceramics, paintings, drawings, sculp- tures and conceptual art inspired by the traditions and landscapes of the ancient Hopi and Tewa villages of Northern Ari- zona make up the “Nampeyo :: Namingha
— Tradition and Transition” exhibit at the Museum of Northern Arizona.
The exhibit tells the story of artistic ex- pression in the family descended from the great female Hopi/Tewa potter Nam- peyo (1860-1942). It includes generations of artistic and cultural contributions from Nampeyo’s descendants, focusing on the contemporary works of her great-great grandson Dan Namingha, and his sons, Arlo and Michael.
Thirty-seven of the 44 works in the show were bequeathed to the museum by Philip M. Smith of Santa Fe, who has been col- lecting artwork from the Namingha family for 30 years. “I wanted my collection to be with the family art already at the museum so it can be shared and used to inspire oth- ers,” says Mr. Smith.
“Smith’s collection focuses on works that may be seen as pivotal in Dan Namingha’s ongoing creative exploration,” says Alan Petersen, fine arts curator for the Museum of Northern Arizona. “Dan is widely recog- nized for his remarkable synthesis of mod- ern aesthetics with imagery drawn from Hopi.”
Nampeyo is renowned for her revival