If one word comes to mind when viewing Dennis Ziemienski’s latest crop of works, it’s magnitude. Buffalo are dwarfed by massive plains and golden foothills, horses rest beneath panoramic cloudscapes, and cowboys find their way amidst jagged mountains cresting into the sky.
Mustang Sky, oil on canvas, 70 x 90 in.
“What’s so striking about this new body of work from Dennis Ziemienski is the sense of scale, not just physically but emotionally. These are paintings that immediately command space, whether it’s the sweeping sky over a band of mustangs, the towering presence of a lone buffalo, or the quiet intimacy of two riders paused in the landscape,” says Jason Williams, owner of Altamira Fine Art.
Ziemienski will be showing these paintings during his new solo show, Into the Majestic West,at Altamira Fine Art in Jackson, Wyoming.
Maiden at the Falls, oil on canvas, 60 x 30 in.
“Every time I travel through the vast mountain West, the area between the Cascades and Sierras to the Rockies, I enjoy and discover many new things,” says the artist. “The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone are so rich with iconic scenery, wildlife, thermal phenomena and, of course, clouds. I have taken thousands of cloud photographs over the years from this region that inspire me. No two are the same.”
The title for his massive 72-by-80-inch oil Where the Buffalo Roamcomes from the old American West song “Home on the Range.” “Every time I see a herd of bison against a stunning background I want to paint them. Their massive size in such large numbers shows the immensity of their surroundings. The clouds overhead dominate this display and add to the vastness of this Western panorama,” says Ziemienski.
Lost, oil on canvas, 72 x 60 in.
Williams adds, “What continues to set his work apart is his treatment of the sky. It’s never just a backdrop, it’s the emotional driver of the entire composition. In these pieces, the skies shift from luminous and atmospheric to bold and almost architectural, shaping the way we experience the land and the figures within it. That balance between monumentality and nuance is what makes this show so compelling.”
Into the Majestic West hangs from June 23 to July 7, with an opening reception on Friday, June 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. —
Altamira Fine Art 172 Center Street • Jackson, WY 83001 • (307) 739-4700 www.altamiraart.com
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