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The Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe is pleased to announce the opening of
Within the Land: Artwork of Walter Matia, Jim Morgan and Matt Smith. All three
artists will be in attendance at the opening. Although diverse in style and
technique, these artists share a fascination with the beauty and complexity of the
natural world.
Sculptor Walter Matia combines his knowledge of animal anatomy and behavior with
an artist’s imagination to convey not only the personality, but also the innate beauty of
the animal. When modeling flying birds, Matia is able to strike a balance between
necessary detail and the mystery of flight. The viewer is left with an impression of
movement, grace and wonder. Best known for his elegant sculptures of sporting dogs
and birds, Matia also creates larger fountain and garden bronzes.
Jim Morgan paints the places he knows, finding his subjects in the wild areas he
loves -- the mountains, marshes, and high deserts close to his home. Light is a key
element in his paintings, along with the shapes and patterns provided by nature. A
resident of Utah’s rural Cache Valley, Morgan often ventures into the nearby Wasatch
Mountains, along marshes around the Great Salt Lake, and to other places
throughout the Rocky Mountain West in search of landscapes and wildlife.
Matt Smith eloquently portrays the rugged terrain and ever-changing vistas of the
American West. Rich in texture and color, his landscapes capture the changing light and
mood of our few remaining wide open spaces. Through his loose, spontaneous
brushwork, Smith offers a subtle suggestion rather than a detailed rendering of the
landscape. His use of color can be lush and bold, as well as intimate and restrained.
Whether his subject is the Grand Tetons, the redwood forests of California, or Smith’s
beloved Sonoran Desert, all of his paintings communicate a Westerner’s love for the land.
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