Season 6: American Art and the West A Discussion With Cawdrey Gallery from Montana

Inside this episode with Mitch Hampton

This episode is an exciting one for us in that it contains many firsts: for one it our first show featuring a gallery and for another it is the first with two guests who are also a married couple. Among the many reasons for me creating and then hosting our podcast is that I was most fortunate to grow up in the New York City of the 1970s and 80s, in which I was literally raised on institutions such as MOMA, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Cawdrey Gallery represents a most important feature of our current art world - that which is representative of worlds of art in places away from the coasts of these United States. Nancy and Steve have had quite the eclectic lives since they also had a long career, off all things, running a Wilderness School. I can’t think of a better example of the pluralism and diversity to which we are devoted on our podcast than this conversation with Steve and Nancy Cawdrey of Montana. 

More about our friends at the wonderful Cawdrey Gallery, here: ( please not this is an abbreviated version for space- for our full article visit our show Facebook page and Cawdrey Gallery Website)

The Cawdrey Gallery proudly hosts contemporary artists of the American West. The spirit of the West is as dynamic and diverse as ever, and we aim to showcase much more than just Western Art through a range of subject matter and mediums from sublimely painted vistas to animated sculptures. We facilitate and inspire fine art experiences with our collectors, artists, and community.

When gallery owner and artist Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey began painting in Montana about 25 years ago, she wanted to express how it really FELT living in Big Sky Country. Nancy along with her husband Steve and son Morgan, opened their first gallery in Bigfork, MT. In 2017 the gallery relocated to Whitefish and expanded to represent more than 20 artists working in over 10 different media.

Making art and experiencing art is about rediscovering the world, moment by moment, and our hope is that it invites us to linger and remain in that moment of awe. American Western art is not only about preserving a storied past—but it is also about capturing and reimagining our present.

Visit us at Cawdrey Gallery to see a large variety of original fine art and high quality reproductions all in one space. Be sure to also walk around charming downtown Whitefish, Montana, home to many talented artists including western photographers, western wildlife sculptors, unique ceramicists and potters, and a variety of contemporary fine artists. More about Nancy Cawdrey and her beautiful work, here:

“Whatever medium I am working in, I like to mix color on the surface of the painting–giving the work more immediacy and spontaneity–what I call spirited silk painting. On silk I can really float brilliant color with spirit and gusto.” Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey paints with vibrant French dyes on crepe de chine silk fabric adapting her experience in water media to express her renowned contemporary style. Cawdrey’s signature western motif paintings, vibrant florals, and commanding wildlife masterworks can be found in museums and private collections around the world. In 2020, Nancy was honored to launch a one-woman traveling museum exhibit titled “Forever Glacier” which focuses on the mammals native to Glacier National Park. Links to Cawdrey Gallery Website: www.CawdreyGallery.Com Facebook: .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}