Another
Good Year
Gabriel
Diego Delgado
Mark Keathley has done
some amazing work painting and illustrating Native Americans, the Old West, and
Texas wildlife. Keathley’s evocative sensibilities are hammered home with
lively landscapes and nostalgic pictorial epiphanies of Western Cowboy and Native
American cultural identity. Keathley’s
painterly essence is found in his quasi-hyper realism. Capturing water
ripples, muscle contours, textures and various other details, Keathley proves
that Contemporary Western Art is making significant contributions to the Art
World.
After being awarded the “Patron’s
Choice Award” at the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s Night of the Artist exhibition, his Native Sun masterpiece painting
depicting austere Native American Nobility not only sold for the recommended $15,000
price tag, but had the ultimate art patron and museum-goer recognition with
such a bestowment.
At J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art, Keathley does
not disappoint with a spectacular landscape of Classic Cowboy Charisma.
In Another Good Year, Mark
Keathley captures a defining moment as the sun draws to a close and the magnificent
beasts stroll along the desert-scape, back dropped by the majestic hues of the painterly
plateau ranges. Reminiscent of the Native Sun with a certain signature Contemporary
Western Art integrity, Keathley delivers a painting that nails the undying love
and nostalgia for the Cowboy epoch.
Measuring a hefty 30 x
40”, this symbolic scene of Texas pride radiates an impressive grandeur of romanticized
rustic living- A must have for any serious Contemporary Western Art Collector.
The foreground gives
life to painterly perfections, dry brush and vegetation so real that they scrape
our legs as we walk out to meet these herdsmen. The earthy hues of the prickly
pear, gyp, chino grama, and others showcase a muted color palette that is toned-down
purposefully to make the illuminated mountain ranges glow with a surreal
serenity.
The horizon line, a necessity
in the landscape genre, is a valuable asset in this particular painting.
Keathley never really shows the point where the sky touches the plains. He
hides it with a clever intention of drawing attention to the meandering herd of
Longhorn cattle. The bovine enter into the picture plane from the right, an
outer edge of a large cattle drive. The dust from thousands of cattle hooves
mix into the lingering light of overcast desert heavens. Four beasts meet our
gaze as we assess their temperament. Corralled by a master, the red-shirted
cowboy dictates their movements and steers them to the left; meeting up with
the guiding eye of the distinguished silvery gaucho.
The vertical elements
of the Saguaro Cactus draw our eye up and into the foothills and point toward
the squared-off peaks of the distant ranges. The mauve, peach, blush and pink soils
compliment the cattle hide markings and color pigmentations. Unclouded areas of
teal firmament highlight the over expansive Texas sky, peeking out like transcendent
eyes; observing a symbolic scene of nostalgic simplicity.
Another Good Year
Mark Keathley
Oil on Canvas
30 x 40"
$8500
To purchase call @10-828-8214
JR Mooney Galleries of Fine Art
