The 2024 season for Artists In Residence (AIR)  at Bighorn Canyon has begun. The 2023 artist in residence, Mary Arnold, has been working all winter to finish works for her gallery exhibit this summer in the Cal S. Taggart Visitor Center in Lovell. 

Arnold’s work will hang in the gallery through Labor Day weekend. She is an expressionistic artist who is passionate about connecting humanity with nature. Her type of expressionism is often times called fauvism due to her use of bright colors in non-realistic ways, allowing the color to stand alone as an independent element without having to be true to the natural world. Visitors will love the colorful energetic paint strokes that create a variety of natural scenes. 

The next week, the first AIR in 2024, Jess Moore, will arrive. Moore brings a passion for wild places to her art making practice. For the last seven years, she has immersed herself into far flung wild lands as a full-time RVer, gathering inspiration. Her current body of work focuses on bridging analog materials, specifically wood, with digital tools. She doesn’t stop there, as she works in needle arts, photography, and watercolor; ask her about her new project with pine cones. 

Moore is an artist and graphic designer with over 20 years experience and holds an MFA in integrated design from the University of Baltimore, and owns her business, Simple and Sylvan. Previously Moore worked for professional services firms as an in-house graphic designer crafting messaging in a range of media including print, web, video, and animation for corporate clients. She served as president for AIGA Colorado, the professional association for design, from 2015-2017. Moore has taught graphic design and art foundation courses since 2002, and has presented topics on the intersection of business and art/design around the country to AIGA Chapters and student groups. Moore has volunteered 1,850 hours in public lands over the last seven years.

Moore will presenting a workshop in a nature journal. Creating a Nature Journal is a great way to capture what you observe in nature. Visitors will find her at the Ewing Ranch from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. June 8 and 15. Moore will guide visitors in considerations for capturing beautiful outdoor features in watercolor of our location. 

All AIR activities are free and open to all ages and abilities. Bighorn Canyon hopes you can join us for one or more of these programs. For more information call the Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center at 307-548-5406.