In May, in honor of Mother’s Day, Rowe Fine Art Gallery raised a glass to its many talented female artists. This month, it’s time to commemorate Father’s Day and salute the gallery’s male artists. Part two of Magic & Mastery opens on Friday, June 7, at 4 p.m. when the gallery shines the spotlight on painters Dane Chinnock, Lynn Heil, Gary Jenkins, and John Rasberry; sculptors Alvin Marshall, Erik Petersen, Joel Petersen, Ken Rowe, Jason Scull, and Joshua Tobey; and jeweler Liam Herbert. Visit the gallery all month long to see the latest works from these award-winning artists, but don’t skip out on the opening reception on June 7 when most of them will be in attendance.
Painter Dane Chinnock was living and working in Prescott when gallery owner Ken Rowe discovered him at a Phippen Museum show. Dane has since relocated to Texas, but he’ll be back at Rowe Fine Art Gallery for this special June event. Dane will bring several new oil-with-palette-knife landscape paintings with him. One of Dane’s many talents is making a viewer feel what he felt when he first laid eyes on his subject matter. “You can’t buy feelings in paint tubes,” he says. “To express what you saw in a landscape, you have to mix colors and consider compositions, especially if you want people to feel what you felt.”
Plein air artist Lynn Heil will also be at the show to talk about Chain Link & Shadows, his latest oil painting. Lynn says he’s always on the lookout for the topic of his next painting. “While walking around Posse Grounds in Sedona one afternoon, this scene caught my eye,” he says, referring to Chain Link & Shadows. “Depending on where I stood, the chain-link fences turned solid white in places. Contrasting the brilliant fences were the shadows thrown from the trees.”
Sedona also inspires painter Gary Jenkins. Gary made a name for himself by hosting a weekly art program on PBS in the 1980s and 1990s, and he’s called Red Rock Country home since 2012. Though he’s known for his lush flowers, Gary has spent the last few years experimenting with what he calls “abstract/realism,” a combination of an acrylic abstract background and an oil realistic subject. In June, gallerygoers will see Hey…It’s a Party!, which features roses and hummingbirds. “One of my favorite subjects to paint is roses,” says Gary. “I get most of my inspiration from my own rose garden. Often, I like to add hummingbirds to my floral paintings. They bring a touch of life and whimsy.”
Texas-based oil painter John Rasberry will not be able to attend the show, but visitors to the gallery can still peruse John’s southwestern landscapes in which he deftly captures that magical “golden hour.”
Diné stone sculptor Alvin Marshall brings two new sculptures to the show. The Majestic depicts an eagle, but look closely into the bird’s eye, and you’ll see a rendering of the artist – sort of a self-portrait in stone. Alvin will also show Star Girls, which pays tribute to the spirits who teach his people about everything from when to plant to what’s written in the stars. Meet Alvin during Magic & Mastery; he’s always eager to talk about the cultural stories behind his sculptures.
Prescott-based bronze sculptor Erik Petersen is hard at work on a second bronze owl, an enlargement of his ever-popular mini sculpture Spot. If he can take a break from the studio – and from his own business that specializes in finishing and patina work for many prominent western artists – Erik plans to attend the show.
Erik’s dad, Joel Petersen will be at Magic & Mastery. While Joel won’t be revealing anything new, he promises he has two sculptures in the works. Joel’s collectors are hoping at least one of those showcases a bison. The gallery already exhibits two of Joel’s small bison sculptures, and both have been very popular with art lovers.
Speaking of bison, gallery owner and bronze wildlife sculptor Ken Rowe will unveil his much-anticipated bison bust, Standing Strong. The base of the bust features bas-relief bison galloping across the plains. “If the subliminal message in my sculpture Wild at Heart references our loving mothers, then my latest bison piece, Standing Strong, conveys the strength we see in our fathers,” says Ken. “That said, art is subjective, and it’s a language of its own. Regardless of the message you hear when you see a particular artwork, there is no denying when a piece speaks to you.”
Jason Scull, a member of the Cowboy Artists of America, won’t be in attendance in June, but he was one of the first artists Rowe Fine Art Gallery represented when it opened its doors in 2010. Back then, Jason could be found sculpting side-by-side with Ken. (Ken still sculpts in the gallery Thursday through Saturday.) Jason’s bronzes depict scenes of farm and ranch life; he grew up in a family that ranched on the fringes of South Texas brush country.
Impressionistic wildlife sculptor Joshua Tobey was the guest of honor at Rowe Fine Art Gallery back in April during his annual one-man show, so he won’t be back again until next year. In the meantime, art lovers can marvel at his newest sculptures, including Under My Wing, where a protective male quail holds his baby chicks close to his heart.
Finally, jeweler and sculptor Liam Herbert will meet and greet collectors and discuss his wearable art at Magic & Mastery. “I like to create art that is a challenge,” says Liam. “Having no limits with mediums is freeing. I search for ideas from above and from the depths of my being. My goal is to create different forms of expressions involving human emotions that also have an intellectual twist.”
Whether you’re shopping for Dad or you just want to meet some of the most talented artists in Sedona, Rowe Gallery has you covered on June 7.
Rowe Fine Art Gallery represents traditional and contemporary southwestern artists. The gallery, located under the bell tower in Patio de las Campanas at Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 928-282-8877, visit rowegallery.com, or find us on Facebook and Instagram.