Walt Gonske Heads to Museum of Western Art

For Immediate Release from the Museum of Western Art Museum Director: Darrell Beauchamp – dbeauchamp@mowatx.com

Museum PR/Marketing Director – Nancy Foster – nfoster11@yahoo.com

Walt Gonske Heads to Museum of Western Art

The Museum of Western Art is pleased to announce its new exhibition, Walt Gonske: The Church Series, opening September 6 and running through November 8. The opening night reception will be held on September 6th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with Mr. Gonske in attendance.

Darrell Beauchamp, Executive Director of the Museum, is extremely excited about the Gonske exhibition, “To have the works of the great Walt Gonske at our Museum is a great honor. He is, without a doubt, one of the premier painters of our time. Gonske is an American Master who paints with emotion, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Kerrville and our Museum.” The exhibition will consist of 69 of the artist’s works. All will be available for purchase.

About the artist Walt Gonske is a landscape painter best known for his Impressionist depictions of the American Southwest. Born and raised in Irvington, N.J., he graduated from the Frank Reilly School of Art, then went on to serve six months in the Army Reserves. His career began in advertising and men’s fashion illustration, before turning his creative talents to photography.

In 1971, on a first-ever trip to Taos, New Mexico, the region’s scenery inspired him to take many photographs which became the inspiration for his early watercolor landscapes. That ultimately led to his first art sale through a gallery in Albuquerque. Gonske relocated to Taos the following year and transitioned from watercolor to oil painting to pursue landscape art full-time.

Gonske’s Church Series—widely considered his signature body of work—includes three thematic groups: Church Facades, Churches in Situ, and Cemeteries, with scenes drawn not only from New Mexico but also Mexico, Guatemala, and other countries. The artist is known for his loose, painterly style and expressive brushwork, which he describes as a way for viewers to see the emotional process rather than a polished final product. “Each stroke of paint carries emotion and power. My goal is not to show what I know but what I feel.”

Producing approximately 100 paintings annually, Gonske has built a devoted collector base. His work has earned recognition including First Prize and Honorable Mention from Southwest Watercolor Society and has been exhibited at museums and exhibitions around the country.

Artist Reception

To attend the opening night reception of Walt Gonske, the Church Series, RSVP online at museumofwesternart.com under “exhibitions” or phone the Museum at 830.896.2553.

The Museum of Western Art is located at 1550 Bandera Highway, Kerrville in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. museumofwesternart.com

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