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| GALLERY HAPPENINGS - July 2025 |
Making a Long Career of Art
by Thea Nordling |
Gallery Moab, a cooperative gallery featuring the creative talents of local artists, offers a cool refuge from summer’s blistering heat. It’s a colorful, vibrant gathering spot for artists, art lovers, and casual visitors. Our artists work in a diverse variety of mediums and each has a distinctive vision and style. Each month a different regional artist is in the spotlight, so there’s always something new, fresh and intriguing to enjoy.
 Preston McCall, Guest Artist for July, has had a long and varied career in all aspects of the art world. He has painted since his teens. After earning a BFA in Painting, Drawing, Art History in 1973 at the University of Kansas, he did graduate studies in Architecture. He learned drawing, archival painting, design and how the art business works from an academic perspective, but then discovered that “the real art world is quite different.” After showing in numerous galleries and selling a few pieces, he went to New York for a successful one man show, and later relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, which he found more enjoyable than “the hustle-bustle of NYC.”
McCall has owned three galleries in Santa Fe, eventually successfully selling his own paintings. In time he found that “running a gallery is ‘retail jail’. The hours and commitment are intense. Big rents, ad budgets and employees are part of the gig.” In 2014 he and a partner began a new gallery on Canyon Road, McCallFineArt.com, winding it down to by appointment only and a much easier pace. McCall is now retired and lives in Overland Park, Kansas, concentrating on painting and traveling to participate in art markets. 
Over the years McCall has focused on several major themes: Landscapes; photo-realistic paintings of vintage autos; floral watercolors; and exotic figurative narratives. Asked why he paints three different styles of art, he explains,” I paint landscapes of the southwest. I paint automobiles because I love old cars. I paint these mysterious and slightly surreal ‘Narrative’ paintings to somehow depict my ramblings through life and romances. I sell mostly the landscapes. The auto paintings are mostly done on consignment. The Narratives are purely from my imagination and are the most collectible of my works.”
“Painting is indeed my heart-felt passion and I feel very lucky to have developed the skills to have made a career from my art,” says McCall. “It’s a long road, but has been fantastic! I enjoy my collectors very much and have developed some fabulous friends from this over the years.”
 No reception is scheduled for McCall, but all are invited to view his watercolor Southwestern landscapes throughout July. While you’re at Gallery Moab, browse the walls and shelves, and you just might find a perfect gift or that special piece of original art that sparks a personal connection with you. We offer a wide variety of art and artisan crafts to appeal to any taste and budget.
Open Sunday & Monday 12:00 – 3:00 p.m
Tuesday through Saturday 12:00 – 6:00 p.m
Call 435-220-0891 and we will gladly open by appointment during other hours.
We look forward to your visit!
Gallery Moab LCA • 59 South Main Street #1, Moab, Utah 84532 • 435-355-0024
gallerymoab.com
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Utah landscapes inspire this pen & ink Moab artist
By Sharon Sullivan |
While running, backpacking, or bike-packing on public lands surrounding Moab, Kelsey Koprowski brings along a small sketchbook, pens, and a camera to capture the landscapes that inspire her pen and ink drawings.
 You can find prints and postcards of her original works at Moab Made, 82 N. Main St., a shop that specializes in the work of local artists. She also makes wooden boxes from reclaimed wood that she sands and paints before applying a 3-inch-by-3-inch print of one of her drawings – these art pieces are sold at Tumbleweed, a gift shop located at 31 N. Main St.
Koprowski won second place (before she started selling her artwork) in the Amateur Artist category for the Canyon River Runner Art Show in Green River in 2021. During the winter of 2021-2022, she was the featured artist at Moonflower Community Cooperative.
She won second place in the People’s Choice category at the Red Rocks Art Show in Moab in 2024 for her piece titled “Lap Swim.” The charcoal drawing represents a swimmer’s view of nearby Ken’s Lake. The piece was purchased by the city and is displayed inside Moab City Hall, which is open to the public during business hours.
Koprowski’s work has also caught the eye of the Moab Music Festival, which paid the artist for use of her drawing “Cowboy Jacuzzi” for their T-shirt design in 2023. The title refers to a rocky, waterfall area along the Mill Creek Rim Trail.
 Moab Made has been a good platform for introducing new art to the public, said Koprowski, who was first trained in charcoal, before switching to primarily pen and ink work.
“It has been super helpful for me,” she said. “I definitely sell a majority of my work at Moab Made. (Owner) Rebecca McAllister is a fantastic steward for supporting the arts.”
Koprowski previously lived in Nicaragua where she volunteered as a hiking guide for a nonprofit organization that led hikes to volcanoes. She and her partner, a bike mechanic, moved to Moab 12 years ago.
“We fell in love quickly with the landscape and the community,” she said. “We were quickly swallowed up by Moab.”
For more information visit: KelseyKoprowski/website. And be sure to mention you read about Kelsey in Moab Happenings.
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