Carrie Wild, artist and owner of Gallery Wild, uses her finger to manipulate oil paint while working on her piece during last year’s Quick Draw at the Town Square. Spectators wandered the square and observed as the artists diligently worked to finish their pieces in 90 minutes.
Artist Rip Caswell smiles while chatting with spectators as he shapes the sculpture he and his wife, Alison Caswell, were creating together during last year’s Quick Draw. This was the Caswells’ third year participating in the popular Fall Arts Festival event. To keep the competition fair, the duo switched off working on the piece every 15 minutes.
Carrie Wild, artist and owner of Gallery Wild, uses her finger to manipulate oil paint while working on her piece during last year’s Quick Draw at the Town Square. Spectators wandered the square and observed as the artists diligently worked to finish their pieces in 90 minutes.
Artist Rip Caswell smiles while chatting with spectators as he shapes the sculpture he and his wife, Alison Caswell, were creating together during last year’s Quick Draw. This was the Caswells’ third year participating in the popular Fall Arts Festival event. To keep the competition fair, the duo switched off working on the piece every 15 minutes.
Boots, brushes, paints, grizzlies, mountains and running water — those are just a few details that make up the biggest attraction at the Jackson Hole’s annual Fall Arts Festival: the QuickDraw.
Fueled by anticipation and coffee, and usually calling for a few layers of clothing, this year’s QuickDraw on the Town Square will give 30 artists just 90 minutes to complete Jackson-inspired works before landing on the auction block.
Paint begins to fly at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. Brushes must be lowered by 9:30, and the auction begins at 10 a.m.
This year, the Jackson Hole Chamber dug deep into the mission of the Fall Arts Festival and moved toward a juried event to celebrate the fastest paintbrush in the West. Events Director Britney Magleby said the chamber reduced the number of artist entries and simultaneously increased the value of each work.
“Galleries nominated artists from which the Fall Arts Festival committee selected 30,” she said.
Last year’s QuickDraw had 36 artists participating.
Magleby said the intimacy between artists and buyers is “incredible.”
“Spectators get to see fine art created right in front of them,” she said, “so when the huge, stunning works go to auction immediately after they’re finished, the buyer feels like a part of the artwork’s story.”
There’s also a great deal of energy that builds up for the artists.
Painter Kathryn Mapes Turner, a longtime QuickDraw participant, Jackson Hole native and the owner of Turner Fine Art, said the thrill never dissipates for her.
“It is a magical, miraculous process, and it gives the general public a peek behind the curtain,” she said. “I’ve been doing it for over 20 years, and still it truly boggles my mind. This is the event of the festival."
A highlight of the auction is when the Fall Arts Festival featured art work goes up for bids. This year’s artist is Troy Collins, and his featured painting, “The Grandest Journey,” currently hangs in the Wort Hotel, right next to last year’s featured work, Gary Lynn Roberts’ 64-by-48-inch painting, which fetched $65,000 in the 2021 QuickDraw auction. That year’s event saw over $200,000 in sales, and Magleby expects the total should be in the same ballpark this year.
The chamber will offer several different channels for bidding. Last year, VIP tent seating was limited to 100, but for 2022, Magleby said, it will be closer to 250 — more like a pre-pandemic experience. Even with the increased number of in-person tickets, the chamber will again offer online bidding, which saw over 200 participants last year.
For information and to purchase paddles, visit JacksonHoleChamber.com/events-calendar/fall-arts-festival/fall-arts-festival-quickdraw.
Contact Tibby Plasse via 732-7078 or fallarts@jhnewsandguide.com.
8 a.m.: Artists begin work
10 a.m.: QuickDraw auction begins
1 p.m.: QuickDraw auction finishes
* Bidders must purchase a paddle or VIP QuickDraw Pass to have access to the QuickDraw Auction tent and to bid in-person.
This year's roster, as of July 24, includes:
David Riley (Altamira Fine Art)
Jason Borbet (Borbay Fine Art)
Connor Liljestrom (New West Fine Art)
Kathryn Mapes Turner (Turner Fine Art)
Gleb Goloubetski (Horizon Fine Art)
Lyn St. Clair (Mountain Trails)
Trey McCarley (West Lives On)
Nancy Cawdrey (West Lives On)
Bryce Pettit (Mountain Trails Gallery)
David Mensing (Horizon Fine Art)
Geoffrey Gersten (Altamira Fine Art)
Laurie Lee (West Lives On)
Katy Ann Fox (Foxtrot Fine Art)
Chelse Wren (Horizon Fine Art)
Since moving to Jackson Hole in 1992, Richard has covered everything from local government and criminal justice to sports and features. He currently concentrates on arts and entertainment, heading up the Scene section.
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