In June of 2023, we were lucky enough to have seven of the gallery artists get together for a 5-day horse pack trip into the wilderness outside of Crested Butte. Our main objectives – to enjoy nature together and make art. The participating gallery artists included Nicholas Reti, Ralph Oberg, Jim Wodark, Katie Dowling, Taylor Crisp, George Bumann, and Tracy Schwartz.

Each of them took full advantage of having five days to settle into the rhythm of nature, and find what most inspired them to create, whether an awe-inspiring mountain backdrop, tracking down wildlife, deep conversations with new friends, or jumping into a still half-frozen high alpine lake. While art was made by all during the trip, everybody also took advantage of the opportunity to come home with reference material – photos, sketches, paintings, carvings – in order to prepare for an exhibition in June of 2024 inspired by the trip.

Also with the crew were Jenny Golding (photographer and writer), and her and George Bumann’s son, Young George (ever-eager Chess player), and documentary filmmaker Brendan Hall. With his camera in-tow, Brendan filmed both the experiences of our artists out in the environment, and also took the time to interview each of them individually, also doing the same for some of our guides from Tenderfoot Outfitters – each, a true character in his own right.

Stay tuned for details on both a short film by Brendan about our time on the trip, as well as the exhibition featuring new works inspired by each artist’s days together in the wilderness. The exhibition will be taking place June 14 – 26, 2024 at Oh Be Joyful Gallery!