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philmonT STaff aSSociaTion®boarD of DirecTorS

Jim lynch, preSiDenTScoTT Toney, Vice preSiDenT, memberShip

Tim roSSeiSen, Vice preSiDenT, SerViceJohn murphy, Vice preSiDenT, DeVelopmenT

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naTional DirecTorSray baTchelor

bill caSSken DaViS

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aDam frommkaThleen SeiTz

cenTralcaTherine hubbarD

chriS manheim

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ranDy SaunDerS, execuTiVe DirecTorJulia mcculloch, office manager

HigH Country®—Volume 36, Special muSeum iSSueeD peaSe, eDiTor

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TimeS per year aS a benefiT To iTS memberS.

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Volume 36, SpeCial muSeum iSSue— DeCember 2013 Volume 36, SpeCial muSeum iSSue— DeCember 2013

About this issue... High Country “regulars” know that the PSA has broadened its publica-tions program over the past several years. Among the innovations was the introduction of occasional “special issues” of the magazine – some in digital-only format, some in color. As opposed to the standard issues of High Country which provide a broad array of news and information, each special issue focused on a single subject. The subject of this special issue is the artistic talent of Philmont staff alumni, as represented in the exhibit mounted at the Philmont Museum/Seton Memorial Library in the sum-mer of 2013. The exhibit was a major success, heavily attended and with uniformly positive reactions. The only thing that one would see at such a presenta-tion in other professional galleries and museums, but which was not part of this one (due to budget constraints), was a catalogue of the exhibit. Enter the Philmont Staff Association. Not only has the PSA increased its program support of various aspects of the Ranch in recent years, this program specifically dealt with staff alumni – our members. A conversa-tion between Dave Werhane, Philmont Museums Director, and the PSA Publications Committee about possible ways the PSA might remedy that deficit quickly settled on the publication you hold in your hand. It was decided that the PSA would publish a catalogue based on mate-rials that Werhane had already collected/prepared – and we would mail it to all our members as this year’s special issue of High Country magazine. In it, the traditional layout/design for the High Country cover remains the same – but inside is the separately-designed-and-printed exhibit cata-logue, a stand-alone publication, if you will. Those who wish to treat it simply as a catalogue may remove it from the outer cover. Those who wish to keep it as part of their High Country collection may do that instead. Whatever you do, we hope that you will enjoy this special issue and the tremendous talent of our alumni – all of them clearly touched by “The Gift of Inspiration.”

Ed PeaseEditor

Philmont museum®

®

Gift of insPiration©2013 Philmont staff association

seventy-five years ago 3Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

Seventy-Five years ago........Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve, decided to it was time to give their land, known as Philmont, to the Boy Scouts of America. One of the reasons Waite felt compelled to share this land was due to his son, Chope. It was here in these mountains that Chope had discovered his passion, his calling. On top of that, Waite also believed that Chope’s experiences working this land had helped to provide him with the cour-age to pursue his passion, regardless of what others thought. Waite thought other young people could ben-efit from this as well.

Waite had high hopes that the land would provide a place where kids would discover their passion, their talents, their gifts. Moreover, he also knew that their experiences here could endow them with the inspira-tion to pursue those talents and achieve excellence.

Almost one million kids have hiked these trails since that day in 1938 and tens of thousands have spent their summers working here. In this room are a few of those staff who’ve realized Waite’s gift… the Gift of Inspiration.

~ David Werhane, Director of Museums~ Philmont Scout Ranch and Training Center

contents

3 seventy-five years ago

4 dawn chandler

6 george gomez

8 charlotte amrine hollis

10 brad johnson

12 leanne mebust luetkemeyer

14 daniel overturf

16 david parsons 18 steven rick

20 mark rickard

22 greg russell

24 timothy seaman

26 jeff segler

28 buster simpson

30 keith walters

32 russ wolf

34 partners in art

36 2013 art contest winnersCatalogue cover photography by Mark Dierker. Watercolor depicted is a copyrighted work of Dawn Chandler. Both used with permission of the artists.

dawn chandler 5 4 dawn chandler Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

Dawn Chandler artist

santa fe, new mexico

Years on Staff:

1983-1985: Ranger 1987: Training Ranger 1988-1989: CD Abreu

1997-2003: PSA Executive Director and Art Director of High Country Magazine

Philmont inspiration Philmont is the reason I am a profes-sional artist. Throughout high school and college, my yearning during the “off season” to get back to Philmont was acute. I was ut-terly preoccupied by my longing to return to “God’s Country” (as Philmont is often referred), distraught with desire to hike and romp and grow for yet another sum-mer with my Philmont friends. Some people have described this yearning in themselves for Philmont as a kind of disease; an intoxication. For me, the only rem-edy for my ache was to come back. And the way I was able to do that during the off season was through my art. By painting pictures of Philmont, I was able to assuage that keen homesickness that pulsed through my core. By thinking about and focusing on recreating the form and color and lay and textures of the land of New Mexico with paint and brush, I was able to “go back.”

Painting landscapes of Philmont became a conduit for my spirit to return to the place I loved so much. Eventually I became more skilled at capturing the lay and mood of New Mexico and found, too, others who value my artistic expressions, including scores of Philmonters. Indeed, Philmonters make up the vast majority of my art patrons. I am grateful to them and this place that has inspired us all. Over time my life and art has expanded to include other interests. But the founda-tion of my creativity is rooted in the land. Especially that of Philmont.

have You GazedBaldy mountain from Wilson mesa

Acrylic, oil and paper2013

For more information contact:

Dawn Chandler - 505.820.92747 Avenida Vista Grande, #231

Santa Fe, NM 87508dawn@taosdawn.com - www.taosdawn.com

Facebook: Dawn Chandler Landscapes

6 george gomez george gomez 7 Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

Philmont inspiration I consider the Philmont summers the best summers of my life. I feel a great love for the experience, the people and the place. I am an indus-trial designer. I work at the in-tersection of art, technology, and manufacturing to make products that entertain people. I am blessed to earn a living creating products, software and games that are all about having fun. When I design a game or a toy or a product, my work is to create the vision that defines the product and how people will relate and interact with it. In the course of my career I have created video games, toys, pinball machines and even furniture. I am passionate about all forms of design and art. I started my career immediately after my last Philmont staff sum-mer, upon graduation from design school at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Like Philmont, my work experience has been a dynamic adventure full of unknowns and challenges, not unlike those Rayado Treks so long

ago. For me, the confidence to tackle diverse problems with no obvious solution was born at Philmont. I’m thrilled that Philmont continues to forge great people and unique amazing adven-tures. It forever reminds me to breathe deep every experience, bring passion to work and play, and aspire to live adventurously.

May 2013 - Chicago

George Gomez executive Vice President of

Game Development, stern Pinball inc. Chicago, illinois

Years on Staff:

1975: Ranger

1976: Training Ranger 1977: Rayado Trek Coordinator

1978: Assistant Chief Ranger

For more information contact: George Gomez

ggomez@ameritech.net

the aVenGers hulK Pinball

machineMixed materials

(+ assorted CAD drawings and design development

boards)2013

8 charlotte amrine hollis charlotte amrine hollis 9 Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

Charlotte amrine hollis freelance artist

Cimarron, new mexico

Years on Staff:

1969 -1970: Assistant curator and librarian, Philmont Museum/Seton Memorial Library (full time)

1972: Assistant curator and librarian, Philmont Museum/Seton Memorial Library

For more information contact: Charlotte Amrine Hollis

WAHOO!Ink & Type 575.376.2568

Philmont inspiration

Philmont was my first professional museum job following gradu-ate school and I knew nothing about the ranch or the region when I moved to town. I had seen enough of the world by then to know that this isolated corner of the state, lovely as it was, would not hold me for long. I was wrong. Philmont presented me with the road less traveled and I took it, growing up in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristos for most of the 40 some years since then. In that time I’ve embraced a number of careers, and hiked the Cimarron Range from one end to the other with dogs and sketchbooks, on foot, snowshoes and skis. The high country of Philmont remains a treasured resource for drawings, dreams and adventures.

san isidro, Valle CimarronAcrylic on Pine

2011

brad johnson 1110 brad johnson Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

Brad “r.t. taylor” Johnson

7th grade social studies teacher-retired Blacksmith, silver Dollar City

strafford, missouri

Years on Staff: 1978-1987

P.C. Dean Cow, Cyphers Mine, Black Mountain C. D. Cyphers Mine, Black Mountain, French Henry and

the Kit Carson Museum at Rayado

For more information contact: Brad Johnson

btaylorjohnson@hotmail.com

Philmont inspiration When asked, “How have your experiences working at Philmont inspired and helped you to advance on your artistic path and achieve excellence?”, Brad answered… “Philmont was where I first discovered blacksmithing. Working at Philmont gave me the opportunity to do things that would have been difficult to do anywhere else. The day after I retired from teaching I finally became a full-time Blacksmith.”

a hard Day’s Work

Steel & copper2013

leanne mebust luetkemeyer 1312 leanne mebust luetkemeyer Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

leanne mebust luetkemeyer artist & mom

upton, massachusetts Philmont staff: 1978-1980

Years on Staff:

1978: Trading Post 1979: Welcome Center

1980: Ranger

For more information contact:

Leanne Mebust Leutkemeyer lmluetkemeyer@earthlink.net

Philmont inspiration The three summers that I worked at Philmont left a last-ing impression on me and my artwork. I fell in love with New Mexico while working at Philmont. The beauty of the land and the friendships I made were a big influence on my work. After graduating college with a BFA in visual communication, I spent the next eight and a half years as a graphic designer and greet-ing card illustrator at Hallmark Cards. While at Hallmark, I created the engraving that I have sent to be included in your exhibit, titled “Lone Wolf”. I left Hallmark to live and work as a freelance artist in New Mexico for roughly eight years. I met my husband, Kelly (also a PSA member), while working at Philmont. We “re-met” at a PSA reunion and were married in

1998. We are both very involved in Scouting in New England. Kelly is an assistant Scoutmas-ter for our son, Aidan’s Boy Scout troop. I’m the Advance-ment Coordinator on the Troop Committee after years of being a Den Leader. Aidan is 12 and working on his First Class rank advancement. Scouting is a pas-sion with us. I’m excited to be a part of “The Gift of Inspiration.”

lone WolfWatercolor

(+ 4 “untitled” watercolors)

2010

daniel overturf 1514 daniel overturf Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

Daniel overturf Professor, Department of Cinema & Photography

southern illinois university murphysboro, illinois

Years on Staff:

1975-76: Ranger 1977: PC Cito

1979-80 &1985 - 88: Photo Lab Supervisor

For more information contact: Daniel Overturf

dvo0201@siu.edu or danoverturf.com

Philmont inspiration I became interested in photography at the base of the Tooth of Time in August, 1973. I was 15 and a first time Philmont camper. It was the last night on the trail before coming into Base Camp. After helping with the washing up after din-ner I had what one might call a seminal experience. My crew from Peoria, Illinois had a few older and Philmont-experienced campers. One named Bob allowed me to look through his Mamiya-Sekor SLR, taught me how to center the light meter needle and focus. I wandered off, looked at the vistas and forms in the viewfinder and made a few awkward pictures. As I examined Philmont through this new manner I was hooked, even though the results could only be called forgettable and that would be gracious. I returned to Illinois for my sophomore year in high school and started to plot for a camera of my own. I bought a Pentax and came back to Philmont as a Kit Carson Man (74) and a Ranger (75). I carried my camera with me everywhere, along with a tripod lashed to the top of my Kelty Tioga. I went to university to be a lawyer - for one semester. I switched to photography and eventually graduated with a degree from the program in which I now teach. My years as the NIS Photo Lab Supervisor contained some of the best times I ever had at Philmont. Early in my staff years I was far too impressed with high adventure to consider a Base Camp position, but that proved to be a changeable opinion. I loved my years at NIS with my supervisor, the legend-ary Larry Walker, who convinced me to take the job. Larry and I were both photographers and we had a love of the discipline. My interest in landscape photography was solidified in New Mexico, most

certainly at Philmont. The challenge to make new and different promotional im-ages of familiar places was a precursor to my professional editorial work. I sought to interpret the incredible quality of light and learned how to control the look of a photo-graph. These skills, acquired at Philmont, still influence my work. I might be a photographer even if I had not gone to Philmont, but I will never know that for sure. I owe more than I can convey to the unique places, extraordinary people and variety of light that I had the very envi-able opportunity to experience at Philmont.

miller City road closed due to

march floodingnear miller City,

illinoisblack and white silver

gelatin print2011

david parsons 1716 david parsons Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

David Parsonsartist & teacher of art

farmington, new mexico

Years on Staff:

1974 - 1975: Ranger1976: Training Ranger

1977 - 1978: Conservationist1979 - 1980: Assistant Director of Conservation

1981 & 1983: Director of Conservation

For more information contact:David Parsons

d_a_parsons@yahoo.com

Philmont inspiration

I now LIVE in New Mexico, because I worked at Philmont. When I first started working at the ranch as a Ranger, I was in art school in my home town of Chicago. By the time I finished my last summer in Conser-vation, I was teaching art in a junior high school on the Navajo Reserva-tion. My journey to the Southwest began when I graduated from high school. I came west for the first time in Philmont’s Kit Carson Man trek, the predecessor of the Rayado program. On the way I saw upside down hills for the first time – called mesas and buttes. A few years later, at the end of a summer working at Philmont, I crossed the Navajo Reservation in a broken down car that stalled for two days in Kayenta, Arizona. I did not expect to return. Yet I ended up in Shiprock, working in Navajo country for 20 years. I don’t teach on the reservation any longer, but I am still teaching art in New Mexico. In all that time, I never stopped drawing and paint-ing. I preferred more open and empty spaces for my inspiration, which helped to propel me to return to Philmont summer after summer and

to stay in the west when I finished college.

trout Creek overlook

Watercolor2012

In my paintings, I’m looking for color and light, and I prefer the deep colors of mountain landscapes; essen-tially I prefer to paint where I camp. I often go north to the pine, spruce and fir covered mountains of Colorado, or to the higher country of New Mexico where evergreens and aspens abound, to find the subjects of my paintings.

18 steve rick steve rick 19 Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

steven l. rick Knife maker, Blacksmith, Craftsman

Cimarron, new mexico

Years on Staff:

1978: Ranger 1979: PC Pueblano

1980: PC Crater Lake 1981: PC Black Mountain

1983: PC Beaubien 1984: Kit Carson Museum 1990-2000: Kanik Guide

For more information contact: Steve Rick: 575.376.2449 www.forgebuilder.com

Philmont inspiration When you meet Steve Rick, you soon realize he is a man of few words, yet he communicates better than most. Ear-lier this year Philmont Museums Director Dave Werhane asked Steve if he could describe how his summers at Philmont had inspired him as a craftsman and artist. To answer, he raised his eyebrows in unison, reached into his coat pocket and pulled out three gorgeous Damascus steel knives...still warm from final polishing. Steve’s work and action speak for themselves. Every few years he goes back to the Villa Philmonte to study the ironwork. He says he always learns something new. Each summer he heads to Rayado to teach his craft to the “new Philmont blacksmiths”. He serves on the Rayado Task Force, preserving the history and culture of Maxwell’s historic settlement. Werhane tells the story of meeting Rick twenty-nine years ago. He was standing in the Blacksmith shop at the Kit Carson Museum and had just finished writing a quote on the hood of the Forge. It read,

“The Eye of the Master does more work than both His hands.” “I spent most of that summer watch-ing Rick work in the Blacksmith shop and remember him ‘watching’ his work,” Werhane continues. “That summer and all the years since, he lived that quote. He showed me that to achieve something beautiful and worthy of one’s time, a true craftsman must apply his knowledge, experience, passion and a critical eye. Steve does that with his work, his life and his dedication to inspiring those first time Blacksmiths each summer.”

Damascus Knife

Damascus steel (made by Steve Rick) and

walnut2013

20 mark rikard mark rikard 21 Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

mark rikardfarrier & PhotographerBirmingham, alabama

Years on Staff:

1983: Wrangler at Beaubien and Ponil1984: Horseman at Clark’s Fork

For more information contact:Mark Rikard

markrikard@yahoo.com

Philmont inspiration

Philmont was probably the single most influ-ential experience of my life. My work in the horse camps taught me just how little one needs in material wealth in order to lead a meaningful and adventurous life. I try to exemplify that philosophy in my photography.... to strip away the fluff and focus on what is truly important.

the JumperPhotograph

Nikon D700 w/Nikkor 70-200mm 2.8 zoom

2012

22 greg russell Philmont museum Catalog greg russell 23 Philmont museum Catalog

here there Be WitchesPhotograph

2010

Greg russellPhotographer

riverside, Californiaassistant Professor of Biology

orange Coast College - Costa mesa, Ca

Years on Staff:

1998: Logistics1999: 28 Day Trail Crew Foreman

2000: ROCS

For more information contact:Greg Russell

alpenglowimages@gmail.comwww.alpenglowimagesphotography.com

Philmont inspiration

A July thunderstorm over the Tooth of Time. Sunrise on Wil-son Mesa. Sunset on Mt. Baldy. Lying in my sleeping bag at Thunder Ridge watching the Perseid Meteor Shower in Au-gust. My summers at Philmont gave me all of these experi-ences and more; along the way I made lifelong friends, as well as memories that still capture my daydreams nearly a de-cade and a half after leaving Philmont. Spending my summers outdoors as a Philmont staff member introduced me to a new way of seeing, as well as a unique understanding of light and weather that has carried over to my photography today. Philmont not only prepared me for complete living, it has taught me much as a photographer.

24 timothy seaman Philmont museum Catalog timothy seaman 25 Philmont museum Catalog

timothy seamanmusician, Producer and owner

of Pine Wind music, inc.Williamsburg, Virginia

Years on Staff: 1970 - 1973

Ranger, Training Ranger, Ranger Office Manager, Kit Carson Men Ranger

For more information contact:Timothy Seaman

757-746-8899www.timothyseaman.com

Philmont inspiration

My mind has always been filled with music. The four summers amid the glories of the Philmont landscape as I hiked and worked with camp-ers and other Rangers and staff fed my artistic muse with end-less thrills which have brought out new compositions and arrangement techniques on flute and hammered dulcimer. I’ve recorded the “Philmont Hymn” and have composed “Morning’s Climb Through Ponderosas,” and have dedi-cated “The Happy Wanderer” to Philmont. The physical ac-tivity of hiking has propelled much of the motion in my music, especially in pieces like “Hiking in the Highland Firs.” Key and melody changes in compositions like “Hazel River” often represent elevation change and episodes of new scenery. Also, a reverence for God’s hand in all this led to “Pres-ervation”, based on the letters of the word “creator.” Simi-

larly, the notes A-B-B-A are used throughout my works as a reference to the Aramaic word for “father” - and the classic pentatonic scale is commonly used as a reference to nature in a style drawn loosely from the Native Americans of the region. More than any other factor, the years at Philmont influence my art even forty years down the trail!

Throughout the exhibit, music was furnished by Tim Seaman. The main

albums we played were:

Wayfaring stranger &

sycamore rapids

26 jeff segler Philmont museum Catalog jeff segler 27 Philmont museum Catalog

Jeff seglerartist

santa fe, new mexico

Years on Staff:

1977: Camping Equipment Manager1978: PC Beaubien

1979: CD Clarks Fork1980: CD Ponil

1981: CD Pueblano1982: CD Beaubien

1983: Director News & Information Service1983-1989 consultant- The Philmont Fieldguide, 1st Ed, 1986; and Philmont, A

Pictorial History, 1989.

headin’ for summer Pasture

Oil on linen2012

Philmont inspiration

Born in 1956, Jeff grew up in Alabama watching Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman, and Flipper. He always wanted to be a cowboy (or a dolphin wran-gler) as a kid. In 1978 he got the opportunity, sort of. He took a job as a cowboy in the living his-tory program at Philmont teach-ing thousands of young people and adults about the history of the cattle industry in the 1880s American West. The living history program was 24/7, teaching about everyday working cowboys, cattle barons and all characters in between. He worked the job for five years and learned a lot about the details of everyday life of an 1880’s Northern New Mexico cow-boy. That experience was the real foundation for Jeff’s passion for cowboy art. During the same period he began painting professionally, particularly cowboy subjects. He signed on with galleries in Ft.

Worth and Santa Fe and began doing shows around the Southwest. Today he also shows in Scottsdale, Sedona and Jackson Hole. Over the years Jeff maintained his relationship with Philmont. In recent years, he has been in-vited along on their cattle drives into the high country, brandings, roping and rodeos. It provides continual inspiration for his paintings.

For more information contact:Jeff Segler - 505.690.1780223 N. Guadalupe #174

Santa Fe, NM 87501www.jwsegler.com - Facebook: J.W. Segler Fine Art

28 buster simpson buster simpson 29 Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

lewis “Buster” simpson artist, Consultant & urban naturalist

seattle, Washington

Years on Staff:

1961-1962: Ranger 1963: Training Ranger

1964: Director of Trail Development 1965: Camp Director Baldytown

For more information contact: Buster Simpson

www.bustersimpson.net

Philmont inspiration When asked, “How have your experi-ences working at Philmont inspired and helped you to advance on your artistic path and achieve excellence?” Buster’s answer was simply…

Buster simpsonPublic art sampler

• Public service

• Stewardship in the pub-lic realm

• Stewardship of the envi-ronment

• Integration of aesthetics into the everyday, which I call - “Poetic Utility”

30 keith walters Philmont museum Catalog keith walters 31 Philmont museum Catalog

Keith Waltersfilm maker, illustrator & artist

miami, new mexico

Years on Staff: 1978 - 1983

PC Clear Creek & Miranda; CD Clear Creek, Miranda & Beaubien

For more information contact:Keith Walters

Keithwprops111@yahoo.com

Buckaroo

Bronze 1999

Philmont inspiration

Keith Walters grew up in Springer, New Mexico and graduated from Northern Arizona University in 1980. A self taught artist, illustra-tor, and sculptor, he spent more than 10 years as a working cow-boy in Nevada, Wyoming, and New Mexico. His experience as a cowboy and horse trainer contrib-uted an insider’s perspective and an honesty to his artistic depic-tions of the working cowboy. The major influences on his art have been Western Artists such as Charlie Russell, Will James, Jo Mora, Maynard Dixon, Joe Beeler, and Ed Borein. But he was also greatly influenced by illustrators E.W. Kemble, Frederick Gruger, and the artists of the Howard Pyle School, particularly John Cly-mer. Keith’s art has been exhibited widely including the Phippen Art show in Prescott, Arizona, the Western Spirit Art Show in Chey-enne, Wyoming, and the Trappings of Texas Show in Alpine, Texas. His illustrations have appeared in several magazines and books. Novelist Max Evans’ upcoming book will feature more than 40 of his drawings as well as the cover painting. In addition to fine art and illustration, Keith has spent 23 years as a feature filmmaker with credits in such films as No Country for Old Men, True Grit, and Lincoln.

“It was a natural path that my art would follow my lifelong affinity for the American West-its history, its ethno-history, its natural history, its people and the land. I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t completely pas-sionate about both art and the West. They were always connected for me. Philmont was a place I felt preserved and perpetuated all those things about the West that were dear to me and it lent me a grand field of study, virtually in my backyard.”

32 russ wolf Philmont museum Catalog russ wolf 33 Philmont museum Catalog

russ WolfFirefighter/Paramedic & Woodworker

lewisville, texas

Years on Staff: 1978 - 1987

Ranger, Training Ranger, Logistics, Assistant Manager-Logistics,

Camp Director Cimarroncito & Abreu, Rayado Trek Coor-dinator

For more information contact:Russ Wolf

rawolf60@verizon.net

native american style flute

Mesquite, Texas ebony, cedar and turquoise2013

Philmont inspirationFor me, the Philmont experience was equal parts Southwestern land-scape and the people who were drawn to work there. Like others, I was drawn back to that magical landscape year after year – I’d still rather be there than any-where else – but it was the people I met at Philmont that I found most inspiring. These were positive, motivated people with plans for the future yet enjoying life fully in the present. Many staff mem-bers, in addition to their off-season academic pursuits, were already engaged in ‘art’ – writing, draw-ing, photography, craft work… and their collective example gave me the impetus to pursue my own artistic interests. Some of the best advice I ever received came early in my Philmont career. One evening I was talking with a camp

director about the weekly danc-es they had over at PTC and a particular girl I was interested in. My twin concerns were look-ing foolish and getting turned down. He told me if I wanted to dance with that girl, I should stop propping up the wall, jump in with both feet, and ask her. I’ve since found that his advice can be applied to most things in life, and in particular to my art/craft – stop thinking/planning/worrying about it, just jump in with both feet and enjoy the dance.

34 partners in art partners in art 35

Partners in art:Keith Walters and steve rick

Keith’s experience in the film business and as an artist, often requires him to imagine the perfect prop for a scene or character. Such is the case with the pistol grips for True Grit’s “Lucky Ned Pepper”. During this production, Keith was challenged to come up with a pistol that was not only historically accurate, but would speak to the character and be visually dramatic on camera. After some research, Keith drew up the “Lucky Clover” design and gave his friend Steve a call. Steve got straight to work and built four sets of the ebony and bone grips, all identical… “that’s usually part of the deal”. For over twenty years Keith and Steve have been working together creating custom movie props. Steve first worked with Keith on the 1991 movie Conagher. (Of course they had known each other for years having worked at Philmont together). Since then they have collabo-rated on countless movie props including knives, tomahawks, badges, pistols, war clubs, branding irons and even hand-carved tombstones. Some of their more notable movies include: Conagher, Tom and Huck, The Missing, No Country for Old Men, Appaloosa, True Grit, and Lincoln. Steve and Keith are currently working on the upcoming film, The Homesman.

lucky ned Pepper’s Pistol Grips

Steven L. Rick and Keith WaltersEbony and bone

2010

Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

2013 art contest winners 37 36 2013 art contest winners Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog

Who’s next ?Philmont 2013

Each year Philmont holds a photo contest for it’s seasonal staff. The winning photograph is then used as the cover art for the following year’s, Guidebook to Adventure. This year the Philmont Museum not only held the Photo contest but it also had an art contest for seasonal staff, open to all types of media: painting, drawing, ironwork, sculp-ture, textiles, woodwork, photography...you name it! There were three different deadlines for submission; June 15th, July 5th, and July 25th. The winner of each was displayed in the Museum for three weeks. The overall win-ner was then on display through Autumn.

Carl Vogt

Conservation site foreman at harlan

Contact: Carlvogt4@gmail.com

Vase

Hand-thrown , Reduction Fired Ceramic

2013 art Contest Grand Winner

2013 art Contest runners up

Black mountain View

by Alan Brock Water Color

Clerk, Tooth of Time Traders

hummingbird by Victoria McKinney

Acrylic on boardCHQ Seasonal Registrar

Powder horn by Ruel Holt

Buffalo horn, walnut and brass

PTC Maintenance

Inevitably when people come to Northern NM, they look up and exclaim on how blue the sky is here. The sentiment is even recorded in the Philmont Hymn, “purple mountains rise, against an azure sky.” During the week of the 2013 PSA Reunion I came to Philmont to visit with Dawn Chandler while she was doing her artist-in-residence stint at the museum. It had rained the night before and all the colors of the surrounding landscape seemed more vibrant and saturated than usual. While taking photos of Dawn’s work area (one of which appears on the cover), I took photos behind the museum which included the sky and the surrounding flora. When I was asked to design this catalogue, I wanted to use colors that represented Northern NM. So I sampled the sky, the adobe wall of the museum and desert plants captured in my photo. Over the years, these colors have inspired hundreds of Philmont artists including me. I hope the art and artists repre-sented in this catalogue inspire even more artists to follow their dreams.

~ Mark A. S. Dierker, 84, 85, 94

39 38 Philmont museum Catalog Philmont museum Catalog