You don’t have to be a member to enjoy the Cody Country Art League any time of the year, and now is an especially great time to come by as our annual show is on full display. 

The 58th Annual Community Art Show and Sale featured a record-breaking number of entries this year. In all, 364 new pieces of artwork ranging from amateur to professional were submitted into the annual show, 46 of which were youth entries.  

The annual show is the one time in the year where non-members are invited to hang in the gallery and showcase their talents. 

While the show is not juried, it is judged. Sue Simpson Gallagher of Simpson Gallagher Gallery took the job seriously and dove in headfirst using her expert eye and vast professional history in the arts to award first, second and honorable mentions in 11 categories for both professional and amateur artists, in addition to the 2-Dimensional and 3-Dimensional divisions in the two youth categories as well as the major awards too.

This signature Art League event has great support and sponsorship by local businesses and individuals enabling the group to dole out $6,000 in prize money to local participating artists and artisans. 

Best of Show went to Phil Anthony for his mixed media piece called “A String of Millefiori Beads.” This unusual, mixed-media, over-sized creation incorporates hand-painted eggs and antler bones designed to emulate the original Millefiori trade beads strung on a copper wire necklace and displayed in a giant handmade wooden box.  

This is the first year CCAL has given a Youth Best of Show award. The 2023 award went to Dean Jeffers for woodworking  “000Guitar” — a handmade guitar. 

The Pinnacle Bank award again went to support an amateur artist, Thermopolis artist Jocelyn Gardner. She made a big splash in this year’s show with her acrylic painting “Somewhere Road.”

The Treasured Memories award was given to Cody artist Barbara Rountree for her scratchboard entry called “Midnight Snack.” Part of the criterial Sandy Gray incorporated in her decision was the framing and finished artwork package. 

Stephanie Rose won the nod from the Brad, Yancy and Bliss Bonner Family award with her elegantly executed landscaper oil painting “Willow Song.” 

The ever-coveted People’s Choice award went to Randy Burke this year for his acrylic painting “Pilot and Index” featuring a snowy view of bison with Pilot and Index looming large as the backdrop. 

Susan Bishop won the Fern Bath Award for her colorful alcohol ink painting “In the Aspens.” This award is given to artists who participate in the show but who also go graciously above and beyond throughout the year by volunteering at the Art League. 

In honor of Shirley Barhaug, the former director of CCAL for 25 years, we presented the Emerging Artist award this year to Sloane Asay for her painting “Lime Kiln Lighthouse.”

The Cody Country Art League is a nonprofit organization supporting amateur to professional artists who reside in Wyoming and Montana. Not only is there a gallery space, but we also host art classes for all abilities and ages. 

The gallery is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and is located next to the Cody Visitors Center and Cody Country Chamber of Commerce at 836 Sheridan Avenue. It is free and open to the public year-round and hosts a large collection of regionally local artwork and gifts, all handmade by someone from around here. 

   

Youth Best of Show: Dean Jeffers, “000 Guitar” — woodworking

Fern Bath Award: Susan Bishop, “ In the Aspens” — alcohol ink

Treasured Memories Award: Barbara Rountree, “Midnight Snack” — scratchboard

Brad, Yancy and Bliss Bonner Family Award: Stephanie Rose, “Willow Song” — oil

Pinnacle Bank Award: Jocelyn Gardner, “Somewhere Road” — acrylic

People’s Choice Award: Randy Burke, “Pilot and Index” — acrylic

Shirley Barhaug’s Emerging Artist Award: Sloane Asay, “ Lime Kiln Lighthouse” — acrylic

Best of Show: Phil Anthony, “A String of Millefiori Beads” — mixed media

 

Youth 12 and under

2-Dimensional

First place: Amethyst Hartley, “God’s Wonders” — watercolor

Second place: Cade Christensen, “Mischief in the Mushrooms” — watercolor

Honorable Mention: Kylie Edwards, “The Oracle Lake” — watercolor

3-Dimensional

First place: Paityn Triplett, “Flower Dreams” — mixed media

Second place: Blake Wood, “Copper Bracelet” — copper

 

Youth 13-18

2-Dimensional 

First place: Sophia Petrie, “The Old Man” — pencil

Second place: Olivia Goldbach, “DeeDee” — watercolor

Honorable mention: Ella Wilkerson, “A Bright Winter’s Night” — drawing

3-Dimensional

First place: Quincy Barhaug, “Wrought Iron” — iron

Second place: Kolten Goldsby, “Damascus Petty Knife” — mixed media

Second place: Devon Barhaug, “Cutting Board and Knife” — mixed media

Honorable mention: Macey Cranfill, “Don’t Be Koi” — ceramics

 

Amateur Mixed Media

First place: Connie Holland, “A Stick is not just a Stick” 

Second place: Cindy Aune, “Crescendo”

Honorable mention: Anna Carpenter, “Lost in Space” 

 

Professional Mixed Media 

First place: Nora Wells, “Blues” 

Second place: Maggie Bassett, “Untamed”

Honorable mention: George VanBuren, “#52 Cave Art Series”

Honorable mention: Shirley Robinett, “Offering of the Sacred Pipe” 

 

Amateur Bronze & Sculpture 

First place: Jeff Bales, “Highlander”

Second place: Ron Ogletree - “Beau”

Honorable mention: Bobbie Brown, “Circle the Wagons, Dad!”

 

Professional Bronze & Sculpture 

First place: Tanner Loren, “Last to Lead his People”

Second place: James Marsico, “The Old Timer”

 

Amateur Graphite, Pen, Ink, Drawing

First place: Diana Barton, “The Smith Mansion”

Second place: Stephanie Manuele, “Otter”

Honorable mention: Addison Petrie, “Always Starring”

Honorable mention: Jocelyn Gardner, “Still Life” 

 

Professional Graphite, Pen, Ink, Drawing

First place: Austin Ratzlaff, “Buffalo Bill” 

Second place: Barbara Rountree, “Safe in the Night”

Honorable mention: Lauren LeJeune, “Vigilante”

Honorable mention: Victoria Wetsch, “Affection”

 

Amateur Pastel 

First place: Lisa Sheets Kealey, “Autumn Waltz”

Second place: Paula Dimler, “Hydrangea Extravaganza”

Honorable mention: Marilyn Braaten, “Goat” 

 

Professional Pastel 

First place: Deanna Matteson, “Paint Rock Creek”

Second place: Louise Payovich, “Plein Air #17”

Honorable mention: James K. Vincent, “Morning Southeast of Canyon Creek”

 

Amateur Watercolor & Water-based Media

First place: Bobbie Brown, “Touch of Autumn”

Second place: Shirley J. Benson, “Log Cabin in Wyoming”

Honorable mention: Jo-Anna Marquis, “Pumpkin Blue”

Honorable mention: Stephanie Manuele, “That Woman is Real Competition” 

 

Professional Watercolor & Water-based Media

1st Place: Brooke Malia Mann – “The First Garden”

2nd Place: Rebecca Weed – “Horse Butte – Montana”

Honorable Mention: Dolly Frerichs Stuber – “Indian Paintbrush”

Honorable Mention:  Analisse Baird (Fire Drake Art) – “From the Roots

Honorable Mention:  Jeanne Ewell – “Moonlight”

 

Amateur Photography 

First place: David A. Kuck, “Foxy Lady”

Second place: Linda Smith, “Sailboats at Sunset”

Honorable mention: Stephanie Amick, “Hot Springs Hoarfrost”

 

Professional Photography 

First place: Kate Richardson, “Wyoming Landscape”

Second place: Shawn Stewart, “Waxwing Take-Off”

Honorable mention: Shawn Stewart, “Lodgepole Jungle”

 

Amateur Ceramics 

First place: Candy Olberding, “Dr. Seuss for Tea”

Second place: John Moore, “Wyoming License Plate Teapot”

Honorable mention: Candy Olberding, “Weathered Stacked Bowls”

 

Professional Ceramics

First place: Mark Kronfuss, “Ceramic Fissure”

Second place: Jesse Dzikowicz, “Bear with Fish”

 

Amateur Woodworking

First place: Ted Richmond, “Barn Owl”

Second place: Casey Sheets, “Amber Waves”

Honorable mention: Robert Smith, “Flagstaff”

 

Professional Woodworking

First place: Dave Haak, “Chessboard #1”

Second place: Gary Lehnhoff, “Golden Crowned Kinglet”

Honorable mention: Robert Kramer, “Apple Platter”

 

Amateur Fiber Arts 

First place: Irene “Rene” Soucek, “Stories”

Second place: Piper Fennimore, “Sage Garden”

Honorable mention: Jeanette Justus, “Majestic Blue”

 

Professional Fiber Arts

First place: Lyn Foley, “Butterfly”

 

Amateur Potpourri 

First place: Ted Harvey and Piper Fennimore, “Mountain Goat in Handmade Frame”

 

Professional Potpourri 

First place: Timothy Mazet, “Circus”

Second place: Hazel Koltes, “The Death Garden”

 

Amateur Oil & Acrylic

First place: Michael Hansen, “On the Hook” 

Second place: Jackie Onstead, “Evania, Age 6”

Honorable mention: “Irish Wildflowers”

Honorable mention: Rachael Lynn Deyle, “The Onion Children”

 

Professional Oil & Acrylic

First place: Randy Burke, “North Fork Herd”

Second place: Paul Kethley, “Ned, What does Bein’ Woke Mean?”

Honorable mention: Wayne Griffin, “East Fork Ram”

Honorable mention: Linda Jolley, “Bad Hare Day”

Honorable mention: Ginny Butcher, “Snowy River Two”