19th Century 20th Century Western Taos & Santa Fe Contemporary Naturalism Photography Recent


		13 Stones: The Artwork of Steve Kestrel July 27 - August 25, 2007 Opening reception: Friday, July 27, 5:00pm - 7:00pm Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe 1011 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, NM 87501 TEL 505.954.5700 FAX 505.954.5754 Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am - 5pm	For further information contact: Maria Hajic Director of Naturalism (505) 954-5719 mhajic@gpgallery.com
		The Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe is pleased to announce our upcoming July exhibition 13 Stones: The Artwork of Steve Kestrel. The exhibition will premier new stone sculptures by Kestrel as well as new and existing work in bronze. An exhibition catalog will be available with essays by nature writer Stephen Bodio and Robin Salmon, Vice President for Collections, Curator of Sculpture, Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Although Kestrel’s artwork falls within the category of animal sculpture, stylistically his work is difficult to categorize. As a sculptor working in stone and bronze, Kestrel’s special mastery is the direct carving technique in which the sculpture is suggested by the shape of the stone block or evolves as the artist works into the block. As Kestrel writes: “This technique provides wonderful opportunities that present themselves during the carving process to change evolve, and solve aesthetic or practical problems. I work very intuitively. These are not exercises in what I already know, but are explorations of what is unknown and mysterious to me.” Kestrel’s inspiration comes from ancient art – Assyrian, pre-Columbian, Paleolithic cave paintings – which is why some of his compositions evoke a feeling of timeless and a strong spiritual connection to his subject matter. Kestrel’s work is a bridge to the direct carvers of the 1920s and 1930s such as John Flannagan and William Zorach. Kestrel allows the raw material to be co-creator and is a master at fully interpreting his design without materially changing the medium. The infinite shapes of his favorite medium – riverstone- are found on his 43-acre property in Redstone Canyon near Fort Collins, Colorado. Kestrel's sculptures have been widely exhibited and praised. In 1997, he was the Gilcrease Rendezvous sculptor in a two-person show at the Gilcrease Museum of American Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He received the gold medal for sculpture at the National Academy of Western Art in Oklahoma City in 1994 and the 2002 Donald R. Miller Memorial Award at Colorado’s Wildlife Experience. Kestrel is also a member of the National Sculpture Society and the Society of Animal Artists. His work is included in such collections as the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado; Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, Indiana; the Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin; the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and the Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas.

Steve Kestrel

13 Stones - Ode to Charles Darwin
Schist Riverstone, assemblage of Fossils & Stones with Slate Base
11 x 27 x 17 in