Painting Red Rocks Country Past and Present

For Immediate Release Press Contact: Tom Shinall, TMP Director of Marketing [email protected] 770-387-1300PAINTING RED ROCKS COUNTRY, PAST AND PRESENT AT BOOTH MUSEUM 45 Masterworks by Two Legends and Four ContemporariesCARTERSVILLE, GA – A new exhibition at Booth Western Art Museum, Painting Red Rocks Country,Past and Present, showcases the red rocks area of the Four Corners region of the Southwest. For morethan 100 years, artists have been drawn to the area to practice the art of plein air painting while capturingthe natural beauty of this land. The exhibition celebrates the area and the artists with 45 masterworks,featuring works by two of the most famous to paint the area, Maynard Dixon and Edgar A. Payne, andfour current masters, G. Russell Case, Denise LaRue Mahlke, Ray Roberts, and Matt Smith. PaintingRed Rocks Country, Past and Present opens June 29 and will run through October 8 in the Booth’sTemporary Exhibition Gallery.“En plein air” is a French phrase that translates to “in the open air”. During the French Impressionismmovement, artists such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir concerned themselves with the lightand shadows of a landscape. Painting “en plein air” became the best approach to illustrate their visionand understanding of the natural world. As plein air painting continued to evolve, it became more than justpainting outdoors, it developed into a philosophy of applying an artists’ observations of nature to theirlandscapes in order to bring their finished works to life.At the turn of the 19th century, artists in California and across the southwest adopted the plein air style astheir own and initiated the California Impressionism movement. Before new technologies urbanized thewestern frontier, artists explored the tranquil locales of the California coast, desert and mountainousareas, and the red rocks of the Four Corners region. Much like the plein air painters of FrenchImpressionism, the California Impressionists were triggered by the light and shadows of the barelandscapes surrounding them. Artists Maynard Dixon and Edgar Payne traveled about the Four Cornersregion specifically because of the red rocks. They were fascinated by the red rocks rustic pigmentation,immense size and earthly energy. Today modern artists continue to be drawn to the red rocks for thesesame reasons.In conjunction with the run of the exhibition, each of the four current masters will visit Booth Western ArtMuseum as part of programming and to lead workshops. MORE

Page two, Painting Red RocksOn Tuesday, July 18 and Wednesday July 19, the Booth Art Academy presents a 2-Day LandscapeWorkshop with Artist G. Russell Case. Western painter G. Russell Case is inspired by nature, but heplaces little value on literal translations. His sweeping, idealized versions of the western landscape arecompositions that combine the beauty of the natural world with the rich imagination and originality of anartist’s mind. Influenced by the monumental scale of Maynard Dixon and the unfiltered color and light ofThomas Moran, Case’s work is simple, pure, and fresh.On Thursday, July 20, Booth Museum Members and guests are invited to the formal exhibition openingof Painting Red Rocks Country, Past and Present. At 4:00 pm, artists G. Russell Case and Matt Smithwill lead a gallery walk through the exhibition and discuss their works. Refreshments will be served in theAtrium from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. At 6:00 pm in Bergman Theatre, Case and Smith will discuss why artistshave been drawn to the red rocks region in the American Southwest for well over 100 years, the influenceof great Western artists Maynard Dixon and Edgar A. Payne, and how these have helped develop theirartistic careers. These activities are free for Booth Museum Members and included with generaladmission for not-yet-members. Following the panel discussion at 7:00 pm, a dinner theatre-style concert,Music from Red Rock Country with Kenny Hall, will be held in the Booth Ballroom as part of theSummer Entertainment Series. Kenny Hall is a fifth-generation horseman from the beautiful red rockcountry of southern Utah, where he raises horses, mules and cattle, and has been building saddles for 20years. He works full-time at Bryce Canyon National Park, spending many of his days on horseback. Asinger of western ballads and songs ranging from traditional to modern, Kenny has performed at cowboygatherings across the country. Well-known for his sincere performances of true cowboy songs, Kennyvoices a deep personal connection to his own rich cowboy heritage. Doors open at 7:00 pm for adelicious dinner prepared by the Booth Café with a cash bar. Entertainment will begin at 7:30 pm. Ticketsfor the Summer Entertainment Series are $25 plus tax for Booth Museum Members and $30 plus tax fornot-yet-members and can be purchased online (www.boothmuseum.org) or by calling 770-387-1300.On Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22, the Booth Art Academy presents a 2-Day Landscape PaintingFundamentals Workshop with Artist Matt Smith. This workshop is full; registration has closed. Theworkshop will focus on the foundational basics of sound art and how they relate to the subject, thelandscape. A solid understanding of these fundamentals: drawing, value, design and color are essentialwhen it comes to analyzing the subject and coming up with a plan to construct a painting. This is theinformation everyone needs to clearly understand before venturing into the field.On Thursday, August 17 at 7:00 pm in Bergman Theatre, award winning artist Ray Roberts will lead adiscussion of painting the red rocks area during the Third Thursday Evening Lecture Series. Born and MORE

Page three, Painting Red Rocksraised in Southern California, Ray attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where hestudied under John Asaro, Dan McCaw, Len Chmiel, Ned Jacob, and Mark Daily. It was there that Rayalso met his wife, impressionist painter Peggi Kroll. Like many successful artists before him, Ray firstpursued a career as an illustrator, establishing a studio in Los Angeles and then Scottsdale, Arizona. Hegot up the courage to switch to fine art in 1992 and has never looked back. This program is free for BoothMuseum Members and included with general admission for not-yet-members.On Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19, the Booth Art Academy presents a 2-Day LandscapeWorkshop with Artist Ray Roberts. As one of California's most respected plein air artists, Ray Robertsis best known for his seascapes, figurative work, and majestic views of California and the Southwest. Hisvibrant use of color, bold textures, and sensitivity to shifting patterns of light give life and movement to hispaintings. In this 2-day studio workshop, students will learn the proper way to design a studio paintingbased on work done in the field.On Wednesday, October 4 at 12:15 pm in the Booth Ballroom, artist Denise LaRue Mahlke will discussher artistic career as part of the Museum’s monthly Art for Lunch programming. Drawing for the betterpart of her life, Denise was encouraged by her family to take art lessons and later study with artists whomshe admired and respected through workshops. Her paintings convey a sense of restfulness and peacethat reflect the spiritual connection she feels for the landscape. As an award winning artist, she continuesto gain national recognition for her pastel paintings, which have been featured in numerous publicationsand exhibitions. The program is free for Booth Museum Members and included with admission for not-yet-members.On Thursday, October 5 and Friday, October 6, the Booth Art Academy presents a 2-Day “Introductionto Soft Pastels” Workshop with Artist Denise LaRue Mahlke. This workshop is an introduction to thefundamentals of pastel painting, in the field and the studio. Participants will learn about the various typesof pastel papers and homemade grounds, different types of pastels from hard to soft, drawing andpainting techniques, how and when to blend, underpainting and block-in techniques, on location paintingtips, and more.Each of the four 2-day artist workshops are $250 for Booth Museum Members and $285 for not-yet-members. The workshops run each day from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Booth Art Academy and have aminimum of five students/maximum of 15 students. Registration for the workshops can be completedonline (www.boothmuseum.org/adults/booth-art-academy) or by calling 770-387-3849 (call to be placedon the waiting list for Matt Smith’s workshop). MORE

Page four, Painting Red RocksPainting Red Rocks Country, Past and Present, June 29 – October 8, 2017 in the TemporaryExhibition Gallery at Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA.About Booth Western Art MuseumBooth Western Art Museum, an Affiliate to the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000 square foot museumlocated in Cartersville, Georgia, where guests are invited to See America’s Story through contemporaryWestern artwork, a Presidential Gallery, Civil War art gallery, and Sagebrush Ranch, an interactivechildren’s gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the only museum of its kind in theSoutheast and was named the 2016 Escape to the Southeast Travel Attraction of the Year from theSoutheast Tourism Society. To learn more about Booth Western Art Museum, visitwww.boothmuseum.org. ###