Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/742011
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 157 future must necessarily involve perfecting a color palette. Instead, he poured himself into experimenting with graphite powder, the carbon medium with classical origins dating to the Renaissance. And he gravitated toward the subjects he loves most in his soul: wildlife. Innovatively, Johnson evolved his own self- taught techniques to develop smoky effects, using distinctive fine paper, rugged and heavy, that will last, as paintings do, for centuries. C ole Johnson's reputation has grown steadily over the years. His work has been juried into Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's prestigious Birds in Art exhibition; he's had pieces displayed at other top shows, helped raise money for groups such as the National Rifle Association and Ruffed Grouse Society, (for which he was named the 2013 artist of the year), and cultivated a devoted following of collectors. In a way, however, he became stuck in a rut, finding it difficult to make a living by Artist Cole Johnson worked in graphite powder to create this magnificent, 8 x 4-foot portrayal of bighorn rams. selling modest-sized works that sometimes took months to complete. Then, not long ago, came an unexpected breakthrough. Greg Fulton, Astoria's managing partner in Jackson Hole, began showing Johnson's work a few years ago. Jackson Hole is one of the capitals for wildlife art in the U.S., and its high-end gallery attracts collectors from around the world. The first pieces Astoria received from