Annual SLOPOKE Art of West event this weekend at Flag Is Up Farms
The 10th annual SLOPOKE Art of the West event will be held this weekend at Flag Is Up Farms, 901 E. State Route 246 in Solvang. Among the art that will be featured is “The Irish Cowboy,” shown here.
SLOPOKE Art of the West Exhibition and Sale will have its 10th annual show in a safe and socially distanced way from Friday through Sunday at Flag Is Up Farms, an open-air ranch in Solvang.
The live art show celebrates the American West, its scenery, wildlife, ranch life and history and offers guests an opportunity to meet the artists.
The event begins with an artist reception and awards ceremony from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday and continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the 100-acre thoroughbred horse ranch located at 901 E. State Route 246 in Solvang.
Three prominent artists will unveil their most recent sculptures to the public at SLOPOKE. They are Errol Gordon, Dino Mehaffie and Pat Roberts.
Each piece will be a new limited-edition bronze fresh from the foundries.
Among the art that will be unveiled is Dino Mehaffie’s “Spur Check,” a sculpture depiction of a contemporary rancher checking his spurs while looking for the mail.
Mr. Gordon’s piece is titled “Conchita,” a sculpture of Conceptión Cintrón Verrill, who was a famous Chilean-born female bullfighter of the 20th century. Conchita defied, in dramatic fashion, the Spanish law restricting matadoras to horse-mount only. Mr. Gordon practices family law in Los Angeles.
Mr. Mehaffie will unveil the sculpture “Spur Check,” a depiction of a contemporary rancher checking his spurs while looking for the mail. He puts exceptional effort into capturing the body language and facial expressions of his subjects to convey the emotions of the moment.
A California Art Club sculptor whose work was last seen at the 108th Gold Medal Exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of Art, Mr. Mehaffie also exhibited at the Autry Museum’s Masters of the American West.
Errol Gordon’s piece is titled “Conchita,” a sculpture of Conceptión Cintrón Verrill, who was a famous Chilean-born female bullfighter of the 20th century.
Ms. Roberts remains an active equestrian as well as a sculptor. Her first-hand knowledge of the musculature and movements of the animals she depicts gives them life and spirit. She will be unveiling the first bronze edition of “Martha,” a beloved donkey owned by friends and known in life throughout the Santa Ynez Valley for her gentle and loving personality.
Ms. Roberts and her husband, Monty Roberts, are owners of Flag Is Up Farms, which is open to the public.
Additional featured artists exhibiting at this year’s event include 2020 jurist and featured artist Jim Wodark, Janet Allinger, Liz Alvarez, Naomi Brown, Tom Burgher, Gloria Chadwick, Gail Faulkner, Alexi Fine, Melinda Gandy, Carolynne Hawley, Teresa Johnson, Diane Keltner, Simon Lok, Lisa McLoughlin, Tracy Miller, Melody Owes, Denise Rich, Janice Scultz, Phyllis Waltman and Jody Wiggins.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
If you go
SLOPOKE Art of the West Exhibition and Sale takes place from Friday through Sunday at Flag Is Up Farms, 901 E. State Route 246 in Solvang. Guests will receive complimentary SLOPOKE cowboy bandanas that can be worn as face masks and also a free high-quality art book. Information and tickets, which are $25, are available at www.the-slopoke.com.
