Mountain Trails Gallery, most known for its Western traditional and contemporary art, has also become a destination gallery for memorable wildlife artists who work with sculpture, painting, drawing, and mixed media art, according to a news release.

The gallery announced the addition of wildlife sculptor Jeremy Bradshaw to its family of artists as it kicks off the new fall season with “Wings & Wildlife II.”

The annual exhibition has grown to include an extensive gathering of outstanding works of fine art, as the celebration continues Friday, Sept. 3, with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m. at the gallery’s long-time location in the popular Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village.

These participating artists are revered for their recognition throughout the year as they are featured in fine art magazines and in important wildlife shows throughout the U.S.

As a Western contemporary sculptor, Bradshaw is an award-winning artist who has pursued his love of wildlife from California to the Oklahoma panhandle to the state of Washington. His fascination with falconry brought him recognition as a specialist in the area.

A passionate curiosity has extended to other treasures of nature as Bradshaw works with complex patinas and remarkable color to enhance their charm and wonder.

Joining the show are such works as his row of snuggling bluebirds called “Winter Blues,” his “Cheeky Lil’ Bugger” squirrel, “Round Robins” on a twig, the startled “Canis Napis Interruptus” red fox, and other marvelous choices.

Bradshaw’s awards and recognition include the prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s ‘Birds in Art’ 2021 exhibition and the current ‘National Sculpture Society’s 88th annual Awards Exhibition’ at Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina.

OTHER ARTISTS

The opportunities to explore the wonder as well as the charm and charisma of nature includes the work of Mark Edward Adams, Bryce Pettit, and Raymond Gibby. Arizona/California artist Mark Edward Adams, whose museum shows have garnered his work multiple honors, brings his contemporary “Young Bear Walking.”

Sculpting from life, whether he is working in the middle of a buffalo herd or at the zoo, Adams does study after study until the gestures reflect the nature of life particular to each animal.

Colorado sculptor Bryce Pettit has a fascination with all of nature’s creations and presents several of them in motion within his “Hit Parade” featuring a group of Rocky Mountain animals that are important symbols to the artist.

The moose, bison, elk, bear, and wolf represent character traits that express, in his own experience, a kind of nobility, with each one representative of his own aspirations.

Utah artist Raymond Gibby’s extensive mastery includes his new life-size red-tailed hawk “Higher Vision” which shows off the complex layers of chemistry in the patina of the soaring raptor as it expands its hunt with beauty and with ease.

In Gibby’s experience, the higher context and broader perspective one can hold about a matter brings more wisdom and more freedom to a situation, and to him, this winged beauty is a powerful symbol.

Masters of the enduring nature of animal life also include Arizona sculptors Curt Mattson, Susan Kliewer, and Deborah Copenhaver Fellows who all work from an extensive Western ranching background.

All storytellers at heart, they share their love of horses, burros, sheep, goat, dogs, and cats in numerous bronzes throughout their accomplished careers. From Curt Mattson’s beloved ranch horse “Lucky” to the heartfelt little shepherd and churro sheep in “Mary’s Little Lamb” by Susan Kliewer to the bright-eyed working dog in “Biting Off More Than He Can Chew” by Deborah Fellows, these poignant and charming works always bring a smile.

A festive part of the celebration includes new paintings by a group of artists who bring colorful details as well as a variety of behavioral characteristics in nature’s bounty.

A delightful part of the exhibition includes the charming desert creatures of Jennifer O’Cualain, the curious wildlife paintings of Michael Trcic, the unique colored pencil paintings by Sandra Byland, the powerful beauty of confrontation in the wild by Doyle Hostetler, the quirky nostalgic birds of Barbara Rudolph, the remarkably detailed work of Joe Garcia, the colorful birds from Adele Earnshaw, as well as the historic iconography of birds in Native American Pueblo pottery paintings by Lisa Danielle.

To add delight to the gathering, the gallery’s jewelry artists feature domestic and wild animals in their metal and stone works of wearable art. All these artists and more extend the gallery’s offerings and make a festive celebration into an event not to be missed.

The public is invited to attend the reception on Friday, Sept. 3, 4 to 7 p.m. The exhibition will go through the month of September. Mountain Trails Gallery, 336 State Route 179, upstairs Suite A201, Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village in Sedona.

For more information, visit mountaintrailssedona.com, Instagram at #mountaintrailssedona, Facebook @MTGSedona. Contact the gallery at 928-282-3225 or fineart@mountaintrailssedona.com.

Information provided by the Mountain Trails Gallery.