Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/742011
158 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S weeks before Johnson shipped it to Astoria. "He shared a digital photo of it a month and a half earlier, and he could have sent it then because his first draft was out of this world," Fulton says. "Yet he continued perfecting little subtleties and elements of shading. Yes, I confess it made a difference, especially if you are a collector who appreciates that higher aesthetic." By serendipity, Johnson seems to have found the intergenerational sweet spot between older, more traditional collectors and younger professionals drawn to wildlife subjects but having more contemporary tastes. In Jackson Hole, a young collector in his 30s who had never heard of Johnson toured several different established galleries representing the finest living Western artists, but was instantly taken by an 8 x 4-foot portrayal of a bison selling for $24,000. Readers with more modest budgets can still purchase smaller Johnson pieces, exquisite works ranging from bird dog scenes to portrayals of muskies and grizzly bears. But for those with more means, who want to make a grand statement in the décor of their homes, Johnson's huge creations are enormously appealing. "I've always enjoyed Cole's vision," says fellow artist Greg Beecham. "He has a very unique way of presenting things. My says, had he seen a pencil drawing so huge. "The pure scale of them would scare a lot of galleries away for fear they wouldn't have the clientele," he says, adding that some people believe that in order for flatwork to have impact, it must necessarily contain color. Apart from that, Fulton wondered if the gallery had enough space to adequately display what were essentially "monument-sized drawings." After the pieces were hung they had a magnet effect on fine art collectors catching glimpses of them from the street. "People were blown away, just as my staff had been," Fulton says, noting that at a time when realistic wildlife art has been criticized for being too staid and predictable, along comes Johnson audaciously making a fresh 21st-century statement. "These are the first and largest charcoal drawings I've ever seen that are not only truly detailed but executed with a sophistical range of tonal value that makes them read visually as if there is color," Fulton says. "They are, on the one hand, traditionally realistic and yet so contemporary." Johnson's art looks effortless. However, as an example of his dedication to never let a piece leave his studio before its time, he had spent months working on a massive portrayal of a bugling bull elk titled Dark Timber. It was 90 percent completed six Johnson were 16 x 20s and 20 x 24s—smallish, though still impressive in their execution. "They were beautifully done, and Cole's skill as a draftsman was obvious," Fulton notes. "Clients who saw them wondered if Cole worked larger because they recognized his mastery and had bigger spaces in mind on their walls. So I had a conversation with Cole about creating bigger . . . I was thinking maybe 30 by 40 or vertical 24 by 36." Johnson hesitated initially, knowing how time-intensive each drawing can be. Some take months to complete, and he brooks no shortcuts. "Cole asked me if I thought I could sell them," Fulton adds, "and I said 'yes, you just get them to me in Jackson Hole and I'll handle the rest.'" Somewhere along the way there was a miscommunication between artist and gallery owner—an accidental, albeit wonderful and profound confusion—that ultimately has proven to be game-changing in Johnson's career. Fulton and Johnson, truth be told, had very different notions of "big." Months later Cole Johnson started sending Fulton graphite drawings of epic dimensions, the first piece measuring an amazing eight feet tall and four feet wide. When they arrived, Fulton and his staff were stunned. Never before in his career, Fulton A pronghorn glides through scattered sagebrush in this 8-foot-long charcoal, one of several huge drawings of big game on a fine paper every bit as durable as canvas.