Karmel Timmons may be thinking of the way the sunlight shines across her home when she chooses to deepen the shadows in one of her drawings.
Or when she decides to texturize the hair on one of her pencil-drawn horses, she’s probably imagining how a saddle roughs up an animal’s coat when it’s removed.
Such nuances define the photographic realism in her work, featured at this year’s Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale at the National Western Stock Show.
“For my work, it’s very important to me to capture that personality and that mood in every detail,” Timmons said. “Sometimes I have to be patient because it comes together when it comes together, but when I get it, I know I need to stop, otherwise I’ll overwork the piece.”
Her being named featured artist means the stock show will purchase one of Timmons’ pieces for its permanent collection. The work will also be reprinted and sold as this year’s show poster.
The gallery chose “Handsome Hank,” a detailed profile of a horse whose name isn’t actually Hank, Timmons pointed out.
Timmons is well-known to show organizers and was a natural candidate for the featured-artist distinction. She won the exhibit’s People’s Choice award for the past three years, art coordinator Anni Bengtson said.
“I feel very fortunate to have been given such a great honor for three years,” Timmons said. “I keep thinking, ‘This will be the year they don’t like me.’ ”
The art exhibit is in its 16th year and will feature more than 200 pieces from 52 artists. The show runs concurrently with the stock show and is free and open daily.
The effort has grown immensely since its inception, Bengtson said. In its first year, 136 pieces of art were displayed and customers spent $67,500. Last year, sales totaled $750,000.
The show will also feature the work of several new artists, including Jeffery Watts, a portrait painter from California, and Brad Rude, a bronze sculptor who casts subjects in whimsical positions, such as a buffalo walking on bicycle wheels.
“This show was started by a select group whose enthusiasm really drove the project,” Bengtson said. “They believed in the early days, and we believe now, that this show is a wonderful way to introduce and celebrate Western heritage.”
Cassie Hewlings: 303-954-1638 or chewlings@denverpost.com
