Hidden Ridge Gallery - Latest Product Updates from Morgan Weistling

Papa's Tea

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 22:20:51 +0100

"I was inspired by the contrasts in this subject," mused artist Morgan Weistling. "The older Grandpa's large rough hands alongside his young granddaughter's petite, gentle hands. With a small daughter myself right now, I know exactly how this gentleman feels. In the presence of this little young lady the biggest, most worldly man would be reduced to a dainty teetotaler (or shall I say 'tea toddler'?). She is in charge and you will drink dirty water if she says so."

Morgan Weistling's instructional videos implore painters to "edit out the unimportant. Stay away from minor details that don't help tell the story." In this masterpiece, he shows us exactly how it's done. The lighting, the figures leaning in toward each other and the color palette all contribute to the central narrative of the shared tea. And yet, there's something new to see each time you look at this painting. Let it be a part of your family story.

Size:	21"w x18"h		Edition:	75
InformArt:	Not Listed		Status:	Available at publisher

Price: $375.00

End of Harvest

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 10:54:00 +0100

"Anyone who has grown up around farms knows well the end of harvest ritual of going through the fields looking for the leftover crops that were passed over or missed on the actual reaping," says artist Morgan Weistling. "Kids from nearby farms and homes would be invited to follow the wagon to help out."

The lively composition in this sunlit landscape starts your eye with the young girl's face in the lower right, an autumn nymph whose joy in the late-harvest work party spreads throughout the painting. It’s even an olfactory feast for the farmer's dog that lopes along, grateful for the rich unearthed scents and the children's company as they make a game of gathering the final squash and pumpkin before winter yields a killing frost. All three of Artist Morgan Weistling's much-in-demand paintings sold at the 2012 Prix de West Exhibition and Sale this summer. Join the Weistling collectors by hanging this expression of thanksgiving in your home.

Price: $0.00

The Chef's Daughter

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 22:25:27 +0100

Cowboy etiquette is newly inspired in this adorable painting by two-time Prix de West winner Morgan Weistling. As rough and tumble as any day on the range was, even the most ornery of ranch hands would find a soft spot in his soul when he encountered cookie’s young daughter after a hard day's ride.

Size:	22"w x 30"h		Edition:	75
InformArt:	Not Listed		Status:	Available at publisher

Price: $695.00

Thy Will Be Done

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:10 +0100

The difference between a magnificent work of art and an illustration lies in the artist's passion for the subject at hand. Such is the case with the power of Morgan Weistling's Christian art.

We are excited to offer, along with Kissing the Face of God, three more faith-based paintings by Weistling for the first time as Fine Art Open Edition Canvases. These affordably priced editions can hang separately or together in a series that will provide encouragement, motivation, reflection and faith in any location in your home.

"This painting is a portrait of prayer," says artist Morgan Weistling, "and its title comes from that moment in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:39), hours before his crucifixion.

"I was inspired to paint this by the number of times the Bible refers to Christ going off alone to pray to his Father, for example in Luke 5:16: ‘But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.'

"I wanted the viewer to imagine how Jesus would look if you were to come upon him in a private moment of prayer. The painting emphasizes his strong carpenter's hands, clasped in prayer, representing his communion with the Father. As I painted it I also thought about the importance of praying not only in times of need but often, and thoughtfully, just as Christ did."

Price: $0.00

The Quilting Bee

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:10 +0100

"There are times when an idea for a painting will linger for years in my mind before it is ever committed to canvas. I've thought about this painting for at least 15 years. It all began when my mother showed me a quilt her grandmother had made as a little girl in the late 1800s. I was amazed by its detail and beauty. I began to research quilt-making and discovered the wonderful American tradition of quilting bees, and I knew I had my painting.

At a quilting bee, women would have family and neighbors gather to finish a quilt. It was a real community event. Often a quilt was made to mark a special occasion, such as a wedding or an upcoming journey. The older, more experienced women would do most of the quilt work, but as in my painting, the less experienced would learn the craft alongside the veterans. The quilt in this painting is the actual quilt my great-grandmother made as a little girl, which made the creative process all the more personal for me."

Price: $0.00

The Promise

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:10 +0100

The difference between a magnificent work of art and an illustration lies in the artist's passion for the subject at hand. Such is the case with the power of Morgan Weistling's Christian art.

We are excited to offer, along with Kissing the Face of God, three more faith-based paintings by Weistling for the first time as Fine Art Open Edition Canvases. These affordably priced editions can hang separately or together in a series that will provide encouragement, motivation, reflection and faith in any location in your home.

The disciples Matthew (Chapter 9) and Mark (Chapter 5) both have accounts of Jarius, leader of a synagogue, who pleaded with Jesus to heal his dying daughter. Jesus agreed to see her but before they reached the house, they received word that the girl had died. Jesus told her father not to be afraid, but to believe.

When they reached the house, Jesus asked everyone to leave except His disciples Peter, James and John and the child's parents. Then He took the girl's hand and commanded her to get up. The 12-year-old girl rose and walked around the room. Everyone was astonished, but Jesus told them to give her something to eat and not to tell anyone.

"I chose to depict that moment when the little girl had been given her life back by Jesus," says the artist. "I imagined the closeness she must have felt for Him. This painting illustrates a real event in time, and it is also symbolic of the life Jesus offers everyone. As a Christian, it is easy to understand the girl's gratitude because we have all been given life. I am reminded of Jesus' offer to all in John, Chapter 11: 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' "

Price: $0.00

The Egg Inspector

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:10 +0100

"I never cease to be inspired by the wonder and curiosity of children," says Weistling. "This little farm girl loves to spend time with her chickens and found her way into the coop one day. This serene moment I painted changed rapidly after she decided to stick her thumbs into the eggs to see what would happen. It got pretty messy."

Morgan Weistling's contemporary impressionism celebrates the wonder of a timeless America, as well as the beauty of everyday moments. His painting, Quilting Bee, 19th Century Americana, was the winner of several awards at the most recent Masters of the American West Art Show and Sale, where it sold for over $160,000. The Egg Inspector is a sweet and easy way to begin collecting the works of this fine artist.

Price: $0.00

The First Dance

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:10 +0100

There has never been a better time to purchase a Morgan Weistling Fine Art Limited Edition. As we write this, five of Weistling's limited editions have sold out and several more are in Low Inventory, and the market for his originals is just as hot. For the second year in a row, Weistling took both the Artists' and Patrons' Choice Awards at the 2008 Masters of the American West Exhibition and Sale, and his original painting sold for $286,100 - nearly three times the reserve price. The painting? The First Dance, 1884 Americana.

The idea for the painting, begun as a sketchbook drawing years ago, had taken years to come to fruition. In addition to finding the perfect models, costumes and composition, Morgan did not want to begin on the painting until he could give it his full concentration. Finally, one day last year, he began to create what John Geraghty described in Western Art Collector as "his signature work, an absolute master work."

Why paint a wedding? "I wanted to celebrate the institution of marriage," says Weistling. "I have been married to my lovely wife JoAnn for 17 years. I thought of the commitment we made in front of family and friends and what a wonderful feeling it would be to do a painting about that."

Price: $0.00

The Artist

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

Morgan Weistling is among several of the Greenwich Workshop Family of Artists to be awarded the prestigious Prix De West award. In fact, he (and Howard Terpning) have won the award twice! Morgan's first Prix De West award came in 2001 for "The Dance" and the second in 2008 for "Indian Stories." As Morgan relates, the model for "The Artist" may one day show in The Prix De West as well: "The idea for this painting came very naturally. My daughter, Brittany, is following in her parents footsteps and is quite the artist at 14. (Morgan's wife, Jo Ann, paints under the name J. Peralta).

"She has posed for me many times, notably in "The Dance." Here, she is a girl set with kitchen tasks but has set them aside to partake in her first love, painting. Although she should be peeling those potatoes, she would rather set up items from her mother's 1890s country kitchen and paint a still life in watercolor. Behind her on the cabinet, other paintings are pinned. I tried to portray that intensity of young inspiration to be an artist. It's an unstoppable force when given the right encouragement.

Price: $0.00

The Dance

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:10 +0100

Most of artist Morgan Weistling's art depicts scenes from the mid-to late-1800s rural American life, a time of the settling and defining values of our country. It's a not too distant past that is recognizable, but just barely. In 2001, "The Dance" made Weistling the youngest person ever to win the Prix de West Award - he also won the Nona Jean Hulsey Buyers' Choice Award - from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where it is now in the museum's permanent collection.

Morgan's daughter, Brittany, posed for this painting when she was five years old. "Looking back on this painting 10 years later, I can still feel the music and remember the inspiration that stirred this idea," says Morgan. "Brittany and I were visiting a Cowboy Poetry and Music festival and at one point she began to dance to some musicians much like in the painting. I later re-created that scene in my studio. I will always cherish the memories of Brittany and I dancing together as the musicians played for us."

This darling slip of a girl with a white apron dances on wooden floorboards worn smooth enough to twirl barefoot. We can almost feel the vibration of the music ourselves as the men lean into the rhythm and the expression of the music in her dance step. It's been a long week of hard labor but tonight that melts away in a spirit of shared music and joy.

Weistling's star continues to rise. He sold all four entries this year (2011) to the Masters of the American West Exhibition and Sale at the Autry National Center, where he won the Patron's Choice Award for the third time. That painting sold for nearly 75% over the reserve price.

Price: $0.00

Strawberry Jam

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

"I have loved jam on bread since I was a kid," says artist Morgan Weistling. "I used to watch reruns of 'The Little Rascals' and there was a character on the show that was always eating a big, thick piece of bread with loads of jam on it. My model, Emily, is a very quiet and neat little girl. When I first directed her to let some jam drip on her hands and on the table, she could barely got the hang of it. But after a while, she really got the hang of it. Before we were finished, Emily had consumed half the jar."

Price: $0.00

Reflection Of God

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

The difference between a magnificent work of art and an illustration lies in the artist's passion for the subject at hand. Such is the case with the power of Morgan Weistling's Christian art.

We are excited to offer, along with Kissing the Face of God, three more faith-based paintings by Weistling for the first time as Fine Art Open Edition Canvases. These affordably priced editions can hang separately or together in a series that will provide encouragement, motivation, reflection and faith in any location in your home.

"Colossians 1:15-20 speaks of Christ's supremacy and of his being the image of the invisible God. Studying this passage brought the scene of Jesus' baptism to my mind," says artist Morgan Weistling.

"I chose to depict a quiet moment while Jesus was in the Jordan River to be baptized by John. I wanted to focus on Christ alone, looking to his Father in heaven, as he fulfilled God's promise to send a Savior. His reflection in the water extends forward, reaching out to us, the viewers, as does Christ himself with his immeasurable gift of salvation. My prayer is that this painting will not only proclaim the deity of Christ but will encourage the viewer to answer the question that Jesus asks all of us: ‘Who do you say I am?' (Matt. 16:15)."

Price: $0.00

Our Refuge And Strength

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

"This painting depicts one of my favorite stories from the life of Christ," says artist Morgan Weistling. "I remember reading about Jesus walking on water and noting that he was out in the middle of a lake! This had a profound effect on me.

"In Our Refuge and Our Strength I wanted to show Peter's point of view, as though the viewer were struggling in the water alongside him. And, like Peter, we come to the realization that Christ is there to save us, as suggested by the light breaking through the turbulent clouds."

Price: $0.00

Oregon Trail Family 1848

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

"I have been fascinated with stories about the Oregon Trail and Santa Fe Trail since I was a child," says Morgan Weistling. "My grandmother used to tell me how my ancestors had traveled by covered wagon to their new home in the West. She would show me little mementos that had been handed down from that time. When I decided to finally depict a scene from this historic event, I dived into piles of research that are available. Many of the women along the trail kept diaries that give us daily accounts of their journey. I chose to capture what they called ‘The favorite time of the day.' After walking for eight hours, toiling with oxen and any number of problems, they would set up for the night and rest. A campfire and some music went a long way toward spreading some peace at the end of a very hard day.

"In some ways this painting is a continuation of a theme that I plan to continue. My 2008 painting "Indian Stories" is about a grandfather telling stories about his travels on the Oregon Trail and his meetings with Indians and the trades he had made with them."

Price: $0.00

Kissing The Face Of God

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

"This painting was inspired by the phrase ‘kissing the face of God,' which I heard in a song many years ago," said the artist. "I immediately thought of a composition with Mary and baby Jesus and how Mary had the privilege to hold God in the flesh in her arms. She cuddled and kissed him just as all mothers do with their babies. God chose to send his Son into this world in this amazing way - in pure humility."

"Kissing the Face of God" is one of Morgan Weistling's iconic images, a portrait of light and love with universal appeal. This Greenwich Workshop Fine Art open edition canvas is available in two sizes so you can find that special place in your home to enjoy it.

Price: $0.00

Indian Stories

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

In June,2008, to the surprise of absolutely no one with their finger on the pulse of the art world, Morgan Weistling's "Indian Stories" was announced as the winner of the 2008 Prix de West Purchase Award. About the painting Weistling said,"I wanted to capture the tradition of storytelling on canvas and worked on the idea for several years.The painting began with the idea of a grandfather telling stories of his adventures on the Oregon Trail. His grandchildren become completely absorbed by his tale of how he was befriended by the Blackfoot Indians and their gift of the pipe.While we can imagine that this is not the first time their grandmother has heard the story, her delight is in the children's reactions."

Like "The Quilting Bee, 19th Century Americana," which took another of the Western art world's highest honors, Indian Stories is destined itself to become a cherished part of American art history.

Price: $0.00

Flour Child

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

Two Prix De West Purchase Awards and Five Patron's Choice awards (from The Master's of the American West) would be the earmark of an impressive career for any artist. That Morgan Weistling has accomplished this feat in just over a ten year period is a stunning achievement and testimony to the artist's commitment to perfection.

Flour Child is prime example of why Morgan is held in such high regard. Collector's bid furiously over this original at this year's Coeur D'Alene Auction. Regarded as one of the finest figurative painters today, his combination of technical prowess and acuity for depicting the nuances of the human spirit are what set him apart from others.

"When I first get an idea for a painting," explains Weistling, "I usually know it's worth pursuing if the title comes with it quickly. I find endless fascination with the world that children create in their imaginations. When I set little Madison on the floor to explore the world of baking and told her she could play with the flour, I knew magic would happen. Of course, I will be finding flour residue in my studio for years to come. It was an epic mess but it brought me great inspiration."

Achieving popular appeal and critical acclaim is no simple task for any artist. Works such as Flour Child are a prime example of why Morgan is held in such high regard.

Price: $0.00

Feeding The Geese

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

"Growing up on the farm," says Morgan Weistling,"I loved to feed the animals. This painting brings back childhood memories of my two sisters and myself. "I love to paint geese because their natural design is so decorative. I named each goose as I painted it - I had Daisy, Lobelia, Bungo, Pippin, Eleanor and Hamfast. I had some fun painting Bingo, the lone duck, peering out at the viewer."

Morgan was recently featured in Western Art Collector Magazine in an article that declared,"he can paint any subject matter - still life, landscape or figurative work. His painterly style, control of light and color values are outstanding." Weistling was also heralded as an "heir apparent" to modern Western masters Howard Terpning and Mian Situ in Art of the West Magazine's 20th Anniversary issue.

Price: $0.00

Dreams In Blue

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

The theme artist Morgan Weistling began in Dreams in Gold, matures in Dreams in Blue."I loved painting this girl from above because it allowed me to see things from a perspective of unhindered patterns and flowing shapes. As this painting started to come together I realized that my model was floating in a world of her own. This illusion represents a sense of freedom that figure painters rarely get to enjoy the freedom from gravity," says Weistling. Imagination and emotion are enhanced by his masterful use of oils. "Having her bathed in shades of blues and cool colors added an almost underwater quality to the work.This sense of fluidity and motion contrasts with the near static state of sleep, creating a still life work. More importantly, it hints at the far more expansive realm of dreams she resides in."

Price: $0.00

Country Schoolhouse, 1879

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:09 +0100

"The one-room schoolhouse goes back to the founding of our great country," says artist Morgan Weistling. "It evolved through the decades but the general idea remained the same. I painted the time period that I know and love best, the post Civil War era. I decided to place the teacher as the focal point, a tribute to all the dedicated teachers that help build this nation.

"This is a rural country schoolhouse and I wanted to portray a class that was a little more primitive. They were still using individual chalk boards instead of pen and paper (because of the cost of paper then). No fancy bows and frilly dresses for these kids. I imagined these children as coming from a farming community as well as tradesmen's homes.

"In my mind, each child has a story. Some are related to each other. There is the girl who gets jealous because another girl is talking to a boy she likes. There is the boy with adoring eyes for his teacher and the girl that has eyes on him. Then there's the kid who is more interested in his chalk than the lesson and the boy who really is having trouble understanding the lesson. I show a little slice of each of their personalities. Teachers and their classes from this period often appear grim-faced in photographs because of the long exposures required to capture the image. But children are not grim! I used real children as my models to make this room feel alive. I also imagined a background story for the teacher. She is new to her profession, full of enthusiasm yet a little nanve about whom she is entrusted to teach. From crushes to jealousy to apathy to determination, it's all there in that little one room schoolhouse."

Price: $0.00