"Sled dogs were to the north what the horse was to the plains."
Join us on Friday, January 15th at Courtney Collins Fine Art for an exclusive evening celebrating the extraordinary talent of Veryl Goodnight.
Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Courtney Collins Fine Art, 32 Town Center Avenue, Big Sky
The multiple award-winning Colorado artist Veryl Goodnight's paintings vividly portray the stories of the intrepid sled dog teams which delivered the mail, the dog teams which moved freight and supplies across endless winter trails. Depicting the Klondike Gold Rush dogs made famous in Jack London's writings, and the dogs who even today carry park rangers and haul supplies in Denali National Park in Alaska. Please come see the remarkable works for yourself.
Veryl feels her most important artistic contribution, despite having monuments in prominent locations worldwide, is her exploration of sled dogs’ roles in North American history. She devoted the largest part of fifteen years, creating paintings that highlighted historic moments where dogs were absolutely vital. Beginning with the first inhabitants of North America, who were almost certainly accompanied by sled dogs, Veryl highlighted the partnership between men and dogs down through the decades. Western Spirit Museum, a Smithsonian Subsidiary, in Scottsdale, Arizona, showcased the collection for an extended period of nine months. Helen Hegener, a noted Alaska historian and publisher, worked closely with Western Spirit to pair Veryl’s work with historical photos illustrating the little-known contributions sled dogs and their driver’s have had in developing North America. The most significant paintings were held off the market to facilitate that exhibit.
Courtney Collins Fine Art has now brought four of the most significant paintings and one bronze to Big Sky, offering them for sale to the public for the first time. Props Veryl acquired to document these untold stories, as well as the museum signage from the exhibition “Sled Dogs in America - Alaska and Beyond” are on display with the art.
