Woodson Art Museum Purchase…September 12, 2013 Greetings, once again, but somehow so soon,
This drawing is entitled, Frontal Study of Two Chukars on a Branch, and was drawn in natural red chalk and natural white chalk on handmade gray wove paper. The drawing was one of several preparatory drawings I did earlier this year for a series of paintings of chukar partridges, who are fascinating members of the red-leg partridge family. Each year, I try to do intensive studies of a new species of bird or mammal. Although this is a time consuming process, I have found this approach to be very rewarding on many levels. I first discovered these fascinating birds in Dove Creek, Colorado, which is not too far from my studio. This was my first encounter with these beautiful birds, and I was captivated by their animated behavior and by the compositional and design possibilities of the light and dark accents of their faces and lateral stripes. Of note, this drawing was done using natural red chalk and natural white chalk, which were traditional drawing materials used by many European old masters such as da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and others, but unfortunately have been lost to use for centuries. During the Renaissance these unique natural chalks were simply quarried from the earth and sawn into short sticks for drawing. For the past two decades I have been doing research on the drawing materials used by the old masters and have found them to have unique working properties which allow drawings done with them to survive the rough handling needed for field studies in remote natural environments. If you have any questions or comments I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The Morgan Library and Museum in New York City…September 8, 2013 Greetings once again, I am extremely honored to announce that I have received an invitation from the prestigious Morgan Library and Museum in New York City to give a lecture on my research into the nature of the traditional drawing materials and techniques of the old masters. The topic of the lecture will cover the history, nature, and use of natural black chalk as a traditional old master drawing material and is scheduled for October 11, 2013. Natural black chalk was a unique drawing material used for drawing by the old masters from the 14th century until it disappeared from use in the 1800s. The Morgan Library and Museum is a large complex in the heart of New York City, which began as the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913) who was one of the preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors in the United States. As early as 1890 Morgan had begun to assemble a collection of old master drawings, illuminated manuscripts, and early printed books. ‘Mr. Morgan's Library’, as it was known in his lifetime, was built between 1902 and 1906 adjacent to his New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. The result was an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo with three magnificent rooms epitomizing America's ‘Age of Elegance’. In 1924, eleven years after Pierpont Morgan's death, his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867–1943), known as Jack, realized that the library had become too important to remain in private hands. In what constituted one of the most momentous cultural gifts in U.S. history, he fulfilled his father's dream of making the library and its treasures available to scholars and the public alike by transforming it into a public institution. The Morgan Library and Museum is located at 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, New York, New York, and their web site is: http://www.themorgan.org If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Hilton Head Art Auction…September 2, 2013 Greetings, once again, I am very pleased to have been included in the upcoming Hilton Head Art Auction, which will take place on October 5, 2013, at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. There will be a Preview of the artwork from 10:00am to 2:00pm that day and the Auction itself will begin at 2:00pm. This year’s auction consists of a select collection of fine art by renown American painters and sculptors both deceased as well as living. The auctioneer will be Jason Brooks, who is one of the auctioneers on the Discovery Channel’s Auction Kings. The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina is located at 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The Hilton Head Art Auction is a premier fine art auction which has been produced for over thirteen years by the Morris & Whiteside Auctions, LLC. id="text"For more information about the upcoming Hilton Head Art Auction you can contact J. Ben Whiteside at: Or you can reach him by phone at: 843-842-4433. In addition, the Hilton Head Art Auction’s website is at: www.hiltonheadartauction.com If you have any questions, comments, or if you would like to know what artwork I will have in the auction, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
National Museum of Wildlife Art – Western Visions Exhibition…August 5, 2013 Greetings, once more, I am greatly looking forward to the upcoming 26th annual Western Visions exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The Western Visions exhibition includes a wide variety of events at the Museum’s award-winning facility to ensure that there is something for every artistic palate, and is one of the signature events of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival. . Western Visions routinely draws an international crowd to this critically-acclaimed exhibition and the Museum is a major hub for art lovers, wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts, and serious art collectors. More than 200 paintings and sculptures by more than 150 of the world’s top artists will be included. This year’s event runs from August 17th to September 22, 2013. On Thursday, September 12, 2013 there will be a social hour followed in the evening by the Wild West Artist Party in which patrons have an opportunity to view the art, place bids, and mingle with the artists before the sale occurs. On Friday, September 13, 2013 the doors will open at 3:30 pm for an evening of refreshments and beverages with the final opportunity to bid prior to the drawing that determines who is going home with a beautiful new work of art. The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was founded in 1987 to enrich international appreciation and knowledge of fine art. In 2010 the Museum received official designation as the “National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States” by order of Congress. The museum has an internationally acclaimed collection of over 5,000 catalogued items and they strive to inspire public appreciation of fine art, wildlife, and humanity's relationship with nature with their collections, exhibitions, research, educational programs and publications. Nestled into the hillside, the Museum’s stunning building overlooks the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge and is en route to the Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park. There is a seamless connection between the museum, its mission, abundant wildlife subject matter and its proximity to wilderness location. The Greater Yellowstone Region is one of the few remaining areas of the United States where native wildlife still roam abundantly and free. The National Museum of Wildlife Art is located at 2820 Rungius Road in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.For more information on Western Visions please contact the Museum at 800-313-9553, or visit the Western Visions’ website at: If you have any questions, comments, or if you would like to know what artwork I will have in the exhibition, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Woodson Art Museum’s 2013 Birds in Art Exhibition…August 5, 2013 Greetings, once again, I am very pleased to announce that I have been selected for the prestigious 2013 Birds in Art exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Since 1976, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum has organized the Birds in Art exhibition annually to present the very best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and their related subject matter. Three simple words – birds in art – took on a life of their own when they became a prestigious Woodson Art Museum exhibition title. Over the years, Birds in Art has grown into what is recognized around the world as the exhibition that sets the standard for avian art. The Museum believes that the Birds in Art phenomenon has a lot to do with serendipity and even more to do with the remarkable talents of the artists who present their very best work interpreting birds and their related subject matter and can be credited for the success of Birds in Art. The artists invited to exhibit in this years’ Birds in Art exhibition come from across the United States as well as from many other countries including Holland, Sweden, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Japan, Israel, India, South Africa, Italy, Australia, and others. The rare invitation to be part of this prestigious exhibition is indeed a treasured event. The Birds in Art exhibition’s opening reception will be on Friday, September 6, 2013, and the exhibition will be open to the public from September 7th through November 19, 2013. The Woodson Art Museum is located at 700 N. 12th Street in Wausau, Wisconsin, and their phone is: 715-845-7010. Further information is available from the Museum’s website: If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale…June 24, 2013 Greetings, once more,
This is a prestigious event that celebrates the heritage of the American West in all of its grandeur. For more than a century, Cheyenne Frontier Days has preserved the western way of life, the rich traditions of the sport of rodeo, and the spirit of community involvement. Through the arts, the Western Art Show and Sale proudly takes its place among the traditions of Cheyenne Frontier Days. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale is one of the most respected and prestigious western art exhibitions in the Rocky Mountain Region. Converging on the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum the artists celebrate the the American West, including its culture, its magnificent scenery, its wildlife, and the Western way of life through their impressive works of art. This year the popular event will feature the works of over 60 of the country’s top contemporary western and wildlife artists. Festivities begin with a pre-view at 3:30 p.m., followed by a reception at the Wyoming Governor’s Mansion at 4 p.m. and The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is located in the Northeast corner of Frontier Park at 4610 N. Carey Avenue, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. For more information you can call the Museum at (307) 778-7290, or visit the website for this exhibition at: If you have any questions, comments, or if you would like to know what artwork I will have in this important exhibition, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Trailside Galleries' Masters in Miniature Invitational…June 15, 2013 Greetings, I am pleased to announce that I will be in the third annual Masters in Miniature Invitational exhibition at the prestigious Trailside Galleries in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This exhibition of small paintings and sculptures will be held from July 15-28, 2013 and there will be an Artists’ Reception on Thursday, July 18th. With galleries in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona, the Trailside Galleries are renowned as the premier Western Art Gallery specializing in works by leading contemporary western artists for the discerning collector. A hallmark of excellence since 1963, the Trailside Galleries actively represent the finest painters and sculptors in the United States and feature an unequaled collection of art across several genres, including Western Art, Native American Art, Impressionism, Figurative, Landscape Art, Southwestern Art, and Wildlife Art. Their artist roster includes members of the Cowboy Artists of America and the Prix de West. The Trailside Galleries in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are located at 130 East Broadway. If you would like more information on this important exhibition and sale, their phone number is (307) 733-3186 and their website is: If you have any comments, or if you would like to know what artwork I will have in this exhibition, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Manuscript published in the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation…January 23, 2013 Greetings, I am very pleased to announce that the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation (JAIC) has just published another manuscript on my research into the drawing materials and techniques of the old master artists. This manuscript is entitled, Steatite and calcite natural white chalks in traditional old master drawings, and is based on over 20 years of research. It was written by myself, along with my colleagues Supapan Seraphin and Margo Ellis of the University of Arizona. This manuscript serves as a companion piece to the first manuscript, Natural black chalk in traditional old master drawings, which was previously published by JAIC in 2010. The naturally-occurring white chalks were highly-valued drawing materials that were used by the European old master artists for more than four centuries. They were unique materials that were quarried from the earth and required no further processing than to be simply sawn into drawing sticks. They were widely-used by artists such as da Vinci, Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Watteau, and numerous others. Their role was to heighten the effect of light in their natural black chalk and natural red chalk drawings. However, the use of these natural white chalks had been lost to the artistic community when they were replaced by commercially manufactured artificial chalks beginning in the early 1800s. Since then information has become scarce on these naturally-occurring chalks especially concerning their geology, chemical composition, methods of quarrying, how they were processed, and the traditional techniques by which they were used for drawing purposes. The research detailed in this manuscript fills in these knowledge gaps for these beautiful and historically-important traditional drawing materials. This new manuscript is greatly strengthened by invaluable field emission scanning electron microscopic images and chemical compositional analyses, which were done on natural white chalk specimens from my own collection by my co-authors at the University of Arizona’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. In addition, it includes optical microscopic images done by Penley Knipe, the Philip and Lynn Straus Conservator of Works of Art on Paper, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums. My research into the unique drawing materials of the old masters began decades ago as a need to use them for my own drawings. In order to do so, I needed to discover geological sources of these lost drawing materials and to learn the traditional ways in which they were used. Over the past two decades, this research has grown into the serious scientific study of these materials. This information has turned out to be especially valuable to the curatorial and conservation needs of major museums worldwide whose collections contain countless old master drawings that were made from these materials. I consider the publication of this new manuscript by the prestigious Journal of the American Institute for Conservation to be an extremely high honor as it is an internationally renowned and respected major periodical dealing with the conservation of historic and cultural works. The journal’s parent organization, the American Institute for Conservation (AIC)is the largest conservation membership organization in the United States, and counts among its members professional conservators, conservation educators, and conservation scientists worldwide. The Journal of the American Institute for Conservation (JAIC) is the primary vehicle for the publication of peer-reviewed technical studies, research papers, treatment case studies, ethics and standards, as well as discussions relating to the broad field of conservation and preservation of historic and cultural works. Subscribers to the JAIC include AIC members, both individuals and institutions, as well as major museums, libraries, and universities throughout the world. I am planning a total of four manuscripts which will extensively cover each type of the four naturally-occurring chalks that were used by the old masters. The third manuscript, on the little-known natural yellow chalk, is finished and is currently going through the stringent peer-review process for publication. I am currently working on the research for the fourth manuscript which will cover one of my favorite of the traditional old master drawing materials, natural red chalk. If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Feature Article in Southwest Art magazine…January 1, 2013 Greetings and Happy New Year, Ok, in the art world this is big….very big. It gives me great pleasure to announce that I will be featured in an in-depth article in the prestigious fine arts journal, Southwest Art. This feature article is scheduled for Southwest Art’s upcoming March 2013 issue which focuses on wildlife art. The article will cover my artwork and my artistic career and it is being written by Southwest Art’s senior editor, Bonnie Gangelhoff. I had the good fortune of meeting Bonnie in person at the 2011 Western Visions exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. To research this article, Bonnie conducted several interviews with me over the past few weeks and she posed some very intriguing questions. I am really looking forward to reading what she has crafted when it is published. The prestigious fine arts journal, Southwest Art, is the definitive source of information and inspiration for fine art in and of the American West. With excellence as their standard, they champion today’s best established and emerging artists and their artwork, which vary from traditional representational to more modern styles in wide-ranging media. They are a forum and catalyst for meaningful exchange between the creators, purveyors, and patrons of fine art. Southwest Art is an invaluable resource for collectors and connoisseurs who are passionate about art, and an essential vehicle to reach this highly-targeted, responsive, and affluent audience. I consider this to be an incredible honor to be featured in this prestigious fine arts journal, and I am looking forward the responses and future opportunities it may bring. The March 2013 issue of Southwest Art hits the newsstands in mid-to-late February, or you can see the article on their website at: http://www.southwestart.com/featured/mayhew-td-mar2013 If you have any questions or comments I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
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I have just been informed by Jane Weinke, Curator of Collections at the prestigious Woodson Art Museum, that the Museum has purchased my drawing from the internationally acclaimed Birds in Art exhibition. This acquisition by the Woodson has made me very proud, and yet humbled at the same time.
It gives me extreme pleasure to announce that my next exhibition will be the 33rd Annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale on July 18, 2013 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum.