Best of 2023: Kathryn Mapes Turner
I hope your New Year is off to a great start!
As many of you know, I love reflecting on the previous year by contemplating the artwork I explored. A common theme in the images of 2023 was Relationships; my relationship with the land, with the wildlife that pass by my studio and with family and friends who add so much to my life.
Among these friends, I count YOU!
Your support and encouragement keep me going while at the easel. Thank you. With that, I am excited to share with you this collection of paintings that either taught me the most or best reflect my authentic experiences of the year. I would love to hear your feedback on these paintings, as it would help me grow as an artist.
Migration | 10 x 30 | oil on linen |SOLD
With a lifespan nearly twice that of the bulls, cow elk play an important role in the herd. They hold crucial understanding of the migration routes and pass this down to their offspring. This painting, featured at the 2023 Western Visions Exhibition at National Museum of Wildlife Art, illustrates this with an old cow in the lead with everyone on the move. I challenged myself with trying new techniques to communicate this sense of movement. Do you think that worked? I’d appreciate hearing from you!
North Fork Fly | 11.5 x 21 | watercolor | SOLD
On pack trips with the Triangle X Ranch is where I am at my happiest. I love being outside, spending long days in the saddle, then sleeping under the stars. This watercolor shows the camp’s cook tent where all the food is prepared. Why does everything taste better when eaten outdoors in warm summer sunshine?!
A True Sky | 21 x 22 | watercolor | SOLD
As a Wyoming native, my paintings have always been about my connection to place. My love affair with this part of the world is as much about the land as it is about the spaciousness of the sky. Western skies are special to me with their ever-changing cloud structure, vibrant colors, and vastness that stretches far into the vanishing horizon. We have a saying, “In Wyoming, you don’t have to look up to see the sky!”
A Fall Evening at the Gros Ventre | 24 x 24 | oil on rag | SOLD
I was blessed to grow up in Moose, Wyoming, so it’s not surprising that I love moose!
I had the good fortune of spending time with this well-known bull moose, known as “Hoback” when he visited close to my studio on a fall evening, browsing shrubs in a cottonwood forest. The sun had set, and the temperature was cool, and his giant presence of 1000 lbs and a height of over 6 feet tall at the shoulder was steady and magnificent to me.
Deep Lake, Temple Peak | 5 x7 | watercolor | SOLD
This field study was done during a backpacking trip this summer through the Wind River Mountains. It was a trip that I took with my whole family, including my 81-year-old father! This watercolor was painted alongside my 13-year-old niece, each of us with our paintboxes. It captures the memory of spending time in this spectacular high alpine landscape with the ones I love the most.
Born to Run | 40 x 30 | oil on canvas | AVAILABLE
Did you know that Wyoming is home to 70% of the world’s pronghorn population? As a Wyoming native, this is something I believe we can take great pride in! With that comes great responsibility for its preservation. I painted this piece, featured at the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum, out of deep concern for the fact that 75% of this population died over the winter due to starvation and disease. It is my hope that this unique species will recover and once again run free in our wide-open landscape.
Sentinals | Diptych 22.5 x 14.5 each | conte drawing | AVAILABLE
I am very fortunate that my home studio is located near the elk migration path. This means if I leave the windows open in the fall, I can hear the bulls bugling – one of nature’s great sounds. These two conte drawings were inspired by one such morning when some bulls were dueling over a harem during mating season. I created them together, designing the compositions in relation to one another. I feel that each figure is stronger because of the other. Do you agree?
Beyond Everything We Do | 27 x 16.5 | oil on rag | SOLD
Created hand in hand, this painting is also about relationships. Cranes serve as a perfect symbol for this as they mate for life. One of my favorite Buddhist teachers is Thich Nhat Hanh. He refers to interrelationship as “inter-are,” where we are here to support one another. Cranes model this beautifully as they return to Jackson Hole each year to raise their chick, (called a ‘colt’) together as a pair.
TOP Beauty. Ever Ancient | 48 x 48 | AVAILABLE
BOTTOM Lazuli Bunting | 12 x 12 | oil on rag | SOLD
I would appreciate your feedback on these two images. It has been a goal of my art to distill my imagery to only include what’s absolutely necessary, much like poetry, to communicate and honor the essence of my subject matter. I made an effort to be very careful with these two bird paintings. What is your experience of them? Are they too simplified, or do they have an impact because of this simplicity?
Thank you so much for checking out my 2023 artwork. In creating my pieces, it is my intention to add richly to your experience of beauty, joy, and inspiration.
I am excited about what this new year will bring to the canvas and am grateful for the chance to share it with you. Meanwhile, I wish you a truly wonderful 2024.
All my love,
