Things are happening fast at Hunter-Wolff Gallery.  It sometimes feels like we are in a time-machine, speeding ahead without any memory of yesterday. One exciting show ends and another opens.  We hope you don’t let our newest show slip by; it’s worth marking on your calendar so you get to see a wonderful, modern-day master.

September’s one-person exhibit and sale, showcasing Jeannie Breeding’s “Lands Near and Far” was just hung and ready for visitors and art enthusiasts.  Jeannie’s travels to Greece, Spain , China and other beautiful destinations inspired these intriguing masterpieces.  Stop by her Opening show on Friday, September 3 between 5-9 pm.  The exhibit will be displayed until the end of the month.

Tinos Churches 12" x 16" oil on linen panel

How many churches do you see in this painting?  Look closer, there are more than one in this painting Tinos is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea and located in the Cyclades archipelago. Don’t see more than one church?  Stop by and search in person and feel the beauty of this wonderful island.

Sunrise over the Yangtze 16" x 20" oil on linen panel

Jeannie also took a month long trip to China a few years ago.  She found that the sunrises and sunsets were spectacular, especially along the Liang and Yangtze Rivers due to the heavy atmospheric conditions. The Yangtze River (literally “The Long River”) is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world.  She cruised down the Yangtze for nine days and took a one day cruise down the Liang River in Guilin.

The Red Bicycle 16" x 8" oil on canvas

Jeannie found this red bicycle propped against an old stone and brick building on a cobble-stone street in Chania, an old Venetian harbor town on the island of Crete. Chaniá (also Chania, Hania, and Xania) is the second largest city of Crete.

Don’t let September — or Opening night — escape you.  This is a show you can visit over and over and over.  More images from Jeannie’s exhibit are found at her page on our website.  Each show piece title  is preceded with “Lands Near & Far”.

Mt. Massive Wildflowers, 40x30

Let’s hope the status quo is challenged and looks different soon says some of our clients, frustrated with the economy.  I couldn’t agree more.  In the art world, it’s a term not often used.  Artists can’t grow and bring new ideas to the forefront without challenging themselves, improving their skill and developing new concepts.  What’s going on in the economy is something else; something we all can’t wait to see change and improve.

In the meantime, one thing we can count on is experiencing originality and beauty by collecting art.  Art transfers positive energy to our personal lives.  Being immersed in the art business 24/7, I sometimes take that for granted .  After returning from being away for more than a week, I experienced “with fresh eyes” what visitors see when they walk through the door. It was reassuring to feel a much needed escape from the status quo and so much positive charge among our collections.  I couldn’t have been more pleased to see new artwork hanging on the wall by Laura Reilly, Marlene Kort and some of our other dedicated artists. It was a wonderful reminder that we continue to offer what is important and needed in our lives to stay uplifted and positive about the future.  Stop in soon and see the new work now hanging by Laura Reilly—her work is always charged with energy, aesthetically appealing with a fresh contemporary flair and clearly provides the perfect antidote for the status quo.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow ~ Albert Einstein

With twenty new paintings be prepped for hanging this coming week and new exhibit  images arriving in my email every day, it is hard to contain my excitement.  Two paintings have already been tagged for purchase without even being seen in person.  How exciting is that for the artist, Jeannie Breeding? 

You too can get in on the early selection process, just by going to our website and looking for all the new images labeled with a title that begins with “Lands Near & Far … “  These pieces will be hung next Monday, August 30 and can be viewed in person before the Opening Reception on Friday, September 3.  Breeding Collectors will have an opportunity to place their red sold button on the wall label anytime before the Opening. 

This show and exhibit could very well be our best attended show of the year – come early!  The gallery is open every day from 11 am to 5 pm and show night until 9 pm.  See you there!

Quiz:  Do you know where Tinos is located?  And how many churches do you see in this “gallery pick” painting?

Tinos Churches, 12x16 oil on linen

 

Light Show 6x8 oil

Evening Water 6x8 oil

Rolling Clouds 6x8 oil

Artist Don Hamilton has been painting nearly non-stop since this spring when his entire collection along with all his art supplies, truck and trailer were stolen.  It was the kind of a set-back that would put most victims into a tailspin.  But Don knew what had to be done and got busy doing it. He got new supplies and materials and worked day and night to create new collections for his local shows and galleries. Within weeks we received several beautiful landscapes and now he is presenting us with a lovely little collection of six 6×8 paintings that are lush with color and texture.  The entire collection can be purchased at a special “collection rate” (slightly less than each individual piece) or each beautifully framed 6×8 can be purchased for $475.  Need to dress up your walls? You can’t go wrong with these Little Jewels.

Preview the entire collection at  Little Jewels and check out Light Show, Evening Water, Meadow Morning, Rolling Clouds, Pinion and Sky, and Moonlight.  Be sure to click on the image for a close-up of his brush work.

It may seem like an unusual path for an art gallery to set its sights on an investment firm for an alliance partnership.  Why not?

Unusual Path by Marlene Kort

Hunter-Wolff Gallery and Waddell & Reed found through working some charity projects together that they may have more in common than first met the eye.  Sometimes finding just one important commonality can make all the difference in developing an alliance partner.  The most obvious is our clientele.  Financial investors frequently invest in art and art collectors need financial advisors. Waddell & Reed also have the resources art collectors need to protect their art collection for generations through trusts and other financial instruments.

How will this help clients at the gallery?  First, we have just gained some added wall space for more collections and exhibition and our new “friends” are excited to show-off their impressive office space during your visit.  Protecting your fine art collection is as important as protecting any other asset in your portfolio – check-out Waddell & Reed for all your financial planning/investment needs–now just stop by Hunter-Wolff Gallery for a briefing on what new pieces just arrived or take an unusal path to  Waddell & Reed at 1365 Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs for another grouping of work by some of Hunter-Wolff Gallery’s finest artists.

Waddell & Reed is showcasing works by Marlene Kort, Janelle Cox, Katherine McNeill and John Sherman.

Pat, Sparky & Dave

It’s easy to find things wrong in our world and there is no shortage of complaints. Maybe that is why so many people turn to art where they can be assured of comfort and joy.  It can whisk us away in a matter of moments to another place or time away from distress and worries.   The second someone steps into the gallery, I can see their expression change and  life’s burdens magically melt away.  And when I hand  a piece of art to its new owner, their expression is priceless. I know without hearing their words that the artwork has found a new caretaker who will treasure it forever.  Here is Pat and Dave with Sparky, new owners of two of Sparky LeBold’s oil paintings.  They couldn’t be happier. 

Ron Found A McMahon Treasure

Ron too displays a big smile after purchasing a wonderful oil painting by Kathryn McMahon and placed another companion piece on “hold”. 

Buying artwork at today’s prices couldn’t be a better value … or be a better antidote for all the things wrong in our world. Fine art can make you too smile.  Try it!

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Our Newest Staff Member, Ann Leago, Event Planner

Offering art work that exceeds expectation isn’t the only thing on my mind 24 hours a day

When someone walks through my door or speaks with us via the telephone or email, I’m thinking about how I can make this a memorable experience for that person.  My staff and I take great pride in delivering high quality work but creating a pleasant and professional environment for a delightful buying experience is just as important.

What does that mean? It simply means following good business practices and following through with excellent customer care.  Offering a great environment that is comfortable and managed by a staff who understands the importance of excellent customer care is high on my list.  When customers meet my staff, they feel the same way I do about these top-notch professionals the instant they are greeted with, “hello, welcome to Hunter-Wolff Gallery  . . .” We serve clients with sincere interest, good listening skills, and a desire to fill requests—even when we don’t have what is desired.  Just ask the mom who came in with her tearful 8 year old son whose dog just ate his stuffed, toy buffalo. Of course, I don’t sell stuffed animals or children’s toys but that didn’t stop me from finding out who did. I immediately called another store nearby who I knew carried little, stuffed animals and hopefully a buffalo.  Guess who was my happiest customer that day?  Yes, little 8 year old Colin.

Every day we are presented with opportunities to exceed expectations. And every day we are ready at Hunter-Wolff Gallery with experts who are eager to discuss, explain, educate, and find ways to meet your art (or stuffed animal) needs. We hope you will stop in soon to meet Marlene Kort, an accomplished pastel artists and superb customer care-giver on most Tuesdays.  Then come back on Wednesday and meet our new Event Planner and gallery representative, Ann Leago, who will serve and welcome you with an eagerness and warm smile that is hard to match.

Marlene Kort working on another great pastel painting

Sharon Wolff & Kelli Hoffmann

Kelli Hoffmann was an outstanding Fine Art Director at Hunter-Wolff Gallery for three years.  She came to us with a fine arts degree and little experience in the gallery business but took to it like a duck takes to water.  Now she is on her way to a new Army post in Texas with her husband, Captain Adam Hoffmann.  Adam has completed a number of tours in the Middle East and moved his family more than ten times in 13 years. Kelli says this move is an especially difficult one because she loved living and raising her two small children in Colorado Springs but, “. . . this is what we signed up for.”  With a pretty smile on her face (and a slight quiver on her lip) she is doing what every dedicated military wife does when duty calls—moves on without a fuss. 

I will especially miss her and am grateful for all she has contributed to my business success these past three years.  Our customers loved her and the gallery artists appreciated her skills.  From the first time I met her, I knew she was an intelligent women with integrity, determination and strong work ethics. She never proved me wrong. As an employee, she always gave 100% and sensed my needs before I could even communicate them.  Kelli gave us so much without ever asking for much in return. She understood customer care and serviced every customer need with focus and desire to exceed expectations.  And, she did these things because that is who she is.  Adam and her children are lucky to have her.  We miss you already, Kelli!  I’ll always have a job for you should you return to Colorado and I wish you much happiness wherever you are with your family. We won’t forget you and hope you remember your “family” at the gallery.

If you have a story about Kelli and working with her at the gallery, please feel free to share it.

Artist Sparky LeBold’s swarthy, good looks and Ipana smile draw strangers in closer like a magnet. It could be his shiny black full-head of hair pulled back in a neat Steven Seagal-style ponytail or his boyish charm, but like bad-boy Seagal’s character it’s impossible to ignore this man and his mesmerizing art.

LeBold is making a guest appearance in Colorado Springs at Hunter-Wolff Gallery.  His collection of landscapes and still life work will be on exhibit for less than two weeks starting July 20. There’s a definite buzz on the street as invitations are received by collectors. On July 23, Hunter-Wolff Gallery is hosting a private Opening Reception, showcasing several dozen paintings inspired by LeBold’s European travels, the coastal region of Sesimbra, Portugal, where he paints throughout the seasons when not in Colorado visiting family.  If you love fine art and charming artists, especially one who freely showers patrons with beijos, call for an invitation.  Because of limited space and the popularity of this artist, the gallery is requesting attendees RSVP—we want to make sure that the banquet table is adequately stocked too!  Call to receive an invitation to this one-time-only exclusive Opening. 719-520-9494. Don’t miss it or the beijos.