The work of Colorado native Gordon McConnell is not just inspired by the artist's Western life, but by all images and cultural icons that depict the West. McConnell's work at Broschofsky Galleries in Ketchum incorporates his love for classic Western movies and prime-time television horse operas and Sunday matinees, but it also reveals an idealized West.
"He uses a monochromatic palette not to reminisce about television, but to take a step back in time," said Broschofsky Galleries owner Minette Broschofsky. "The paintings have an aura of memory and myth."
McConnell's paintings move, exhibit gestures and juxtapose Western metaphors in a uniform background. The work identifies cowboys and stagecoach riders, but they are all faceless and ambiguous figures. Creating layer upon layer, McConnell's abstract expressionist style is simple but unique because of the energy and motion he illustrates.
"We don't take in many new artists," Broschofsky said. "I love one-of-a-kind things, and it makes a difference to appreciate McConnell's creativity."
The Broshofsky Galleries is exhibiting eight works, which is a view on the West's revisionist history and a celebration of the iconic cowboy. McConnell imparts a mood to the open range and cowboy lifestyle. His work is primarily black, white and gray, but the shadows and monotones create a movement and a rustle on the canvas.
McConnell was senior curator for the Yellowstone Art Center in Billings, which later became the Yellowstone Art Museum in 1998. He was instrumental in building the Montana Collection of regional contemporary art. McConnell left the museum in 1999 to work as a full-time painter and independent curator. He has been featured in countless exhibitions throughout the West and awarded residencies at the Ucross Foundation, an artist fellowship from the Montana Arts Council and 2006 Artist of the Year from the Yellowstone Art Museum.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
"Express" by Gordon McConnell. Acrylic at Broschofsky Gallery.
