Carrie Wild, artist and owner of Gallery Wild, uses her finger to manipulate oil paint while working on her piece during last year’s Quick Draw at the Town Square. Spectators wandered the square and observed as the artists diligently worked to finish their pieces in 90 minutes.

Artist Rip Caswell smiles while chatting with spectators as he shapes the sculpture he and his wife, Alison Caswell, were creating together during last year’s Quick Draw. This was the Caswells’ third year participating in the popular Fall Arts Festival event. To keep the competition fair, the duo switched off working on the piece every 15 minutes.

Carrie Wild, artist and owner of Gallery Wild, uses her finger to manipulate oil paint while working on her piece during last year’s Quick Draw at the Town Square. Spectators wandered the square and observed as the artists diligently worked to finish their pieces in 90 minutes.

Artist Rip Caswell smiles while chatting with spectators as he shapes the sculpture he and his wife, Alison Caswell, were creating together during last year’s Quick Draw. This was the Caswells’ third year participating in the popular Fall Arts Festival event. To keep the competition fair, the duo switched off working on the piece every 15 minutes.

Boots, brushes, paints, grizzlies, mountains and running water — those are just a few details that make up the biggest attraction at the Jackson Hole’s annual Fall Arts Festival: the QuickDraw.

Fueled by anticipation and coffee, and usually calling for a few layers of clothing, this year’s QuickDraw on Town Square will give 30 artists just 90 minutes to complete Jackson-inspired works before landing on the auction block.

This year, the Jackson Hole Chamber dug deep into the mission of the Fall Arts Festival and moved toward a juried event to celebrate the fastest paintbrush in the West. Events Director Britney Magleby said the chamber took the number of artist entries down and simultaneously increased the value of each work.

“Galleries nominated artists from which the Fall Arts Festival committee selected 30,” she said.

Last year’s QuickDraw had 36 artists participating.

Magleby said that, by raising the stakes in the selection process, the chamber has added to the event’s prestige and stuck to its mission to support local businesses, including the area’s art galleries.

“Artists must be nominated by a gallery in order to qualify for the nominating pool,” she said. “Each gallery is limited to five nominations.”

Fortunately for both artists and art fans, many Jackson Hole artists who self-represent have their own gallery space, so painters like Katy Fox and Jason Borbet, who only in the past year open their own galleries, will be able to participate and present their unique points of view.

The selection committee reviews each nominated artist’s work and range of retail prices and tries to get a handle on the gist of his or her style for a carefully curated selection of artists and art for the beloved QuickDraw.

Magleby said the intimacy between artists and buyers is “incredible.”

“Spectators get to see fine art created right in front of them,” she said, “so when the huge, stunning works go to auction immediately after they’re finished, the buyer feels like a part of the artwork’s story.”

There’s also a great deal of energy that builds up for the artists.

“David Mensing with Horizon is doing the QuickDraw for the first time,” Magleby said, “and he said he’s nervous because his work is so detailed.”

Katy Fox said she loves the event.

“I don’t know if my hands are shaking because it’s so cold out or because I am so nervous,” she said.

Painter Kathryn Mapes Turner, a longtime QuickDraw participant, Jackson Hole native and the owner of Turner Fine Art, said the thrill never dissipates for her.

“It is a magical, miraculous process, and it gives the general public a peek behind the curtain,” she said. “I’ve been doing it for over 20 years and still it truly boggles my mind. This is the event of the festival.

“To be honest, it’s very nerve-racking,” Turner said. “I can’t sleep the night before, and I’m nervous for the week ahead of time, but I don’t think about what I am painting until the week of. I am going to paint what is moving through me at that exact time — I don’t want to force anything.”

A highlight of the auction is when the Fall Arts Festival featured art work goes up for bids. This year’s artist is Troy Collins, and his featured painting, “The Grandest Journey,” currently hangs in the Wort Hotel, right next to last year’s featured work, Gary Lynn Roberts’ 64-by-48-inch painting, which fetched $65,000 in the 2021 QuickDraw auction. That year’s event saw over $200,000 in sales, and Magleby expects the total should be in the same ballpark this year.

The chamber will offer several different channels for bidding. Last year, VIP tent seating was limited to 100, but for 2022, Magleby said, it will be closer to 250 — more like a pre-pandemic experience. Even with the increased number of in-person tickets, the chamber will again offer online bidding, which saw over 200 participants last year.

For information and to purchase paddles, visit JacksonHoleChamber.com/events-calendar/fall-arts-festival/fall-arts-festival-quickdraw. 

Contact Tibby Plasse via 732-7078 or fallarts@jhnewsandguide.com.

8 a.m.: Artists begin work

10 a.m.: QuickDraw auction begins

1 p.m.: QuickDraw auction finishes

* Bidders mush purchase a paddle or VIP QuickDraw Pass to have access to the QuickDraw Auction tent and to bid in-person.

This year's roster, as of July 24, includes: 

David Riley (Altamira Fine Art)

Jason Borbet (Borbay Fine Art)

Connor Liljestrom (New West Fine Art)

Kathryn Mapes Turner (Turner Fine Art)

Gleb Goloubetski (Horizon Fine Art)

Lyn St. Clair (Mountain Trails)

Trey McCarley (West Lives On)

Nancy Cawdrey (West Lives On)

Bryce Pettit (Mountain Trails Gallery)

David Mensing (Horizon Fine Art)

Geoffrey Gersten (Altamira Fine Art)

Laurie Lee (West Lives On)

Katy Ann Fox (Foxtrot Fine Art)

Chelse Wren (Horizon Fine Art)

Since moving to Jackson Hole in 1992, Richard has covered everything from local government and criminal justice to sports and features. He currently concentrates on arts and entertainment, heading up the Scene section.

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