Ann Korologos Gallery presents Terry Gardner and Amy Laugesen: San Luis Valley Views, a collaboration between painter Terry Gardner and sculptor Amy Laugesen as they explore the intersection of landscape and ranch life in the San Luis Valley in their respective mediums. The exhibition is on view August 3 to 16, 2022 with an opening artist reception on Wednesday, August 3 from 5 to 7PM at Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt, CO.

“Terry and Amy came to us with the idea for this exhibition,” shares gallery owner Ann Korologos. “They had both been invited to Zapata Ranch in the San Luis Valley last Spring and wanted to depict the experience of being on this active ranch, of being led by women on horseback to explore the sand dunes and Sangre de Cristos, of the changes in the industry and of the land. This exhibition explores the marriage of ranch life and the American west, of the nostalgia of the Old West juxtaposed to changes creating the New West – the hope found in these future generations of cowgirls, many of whom, we hear, are biologists or have degrees in conservation.”

Terry Gardner was born and raised in Missouri and moved to Colorado to paint outdoors as a plein air artist, diving deeply into various subjects and ways of life. A contemporary painter of the American West, Gardner depicts the hard work of ranchers and farmers, recording both ranch hands and the lands they roam. Gardner strives to paint what is not visible to the eye by suggesting the mystery and intrigue of the past and present through his moody palette and subject matter. Gardner’s current body of work features women on the range with a more colorful, vibrant palette that suggests a mood of optimism for the future of the land.

Amy Laugesen is a Colorado-based sculptor known for her modern-day equine “relics” that span from large-scale commissioned public artworks to small mixed-media treasures. Mainly working with ceramics, her mastery of materials includes a variety of glazing techniques which allows her to achieve unique color in each sculpture. Her ceramics are paired with vintage metals, porcelain casters, and metal, wood, or stone bases. “Within the heart of each work I explore the essence, movement and the individual story of my subject into sculptural form,” reflects Laugesen. “As Western metaphor, the horse symbolizes power, grace, nobility, strength, endurance and freedom which I integrate into classical yet contemporary forms.” In this exhibition, Laugesen explores horses as an integral part of the land, both depicting the horses on the Zapata Ranch, and the horses in the surrounding Sangre de Cristo range. 

Terry Gardner and Amy Laugesen: San Luis Valley Views is complemented with a selection of works from the gallery’s inventory of contemporary western art by 40 national and regional talents. It will be on view August 3 through August 16, 2022. For more information, please visit the Ann Korologos Gallery at 211 Midland Avenue in Basalt, call 970.927.9668 or email art@korologosgallery.com.