Iron Horse Gallery
Photography: Douglas J. Burke
A graceful collection of copper and stainless steel wind sculptures pulsate just outside Iron Horse Gallery, lulling diners at the popular Windy Ridge restaurant across the street into a peaceful mood. The gallery’s interior is just as pleasing, featuring a mix of colorful paintings, pastels, jewelry, bronzes and a number of multi-tiered, cascading water sculptures that lend an air of tranquility to the space.
The jovial, carefree mood elicited by the collection is clearly a reflection of Iron Horse’s owner, Joyce Plowman. Anyone who describes the process of setting up a business as “a dream” is obviously deeply in touch with what he or she loves, and one of the lucky few who have found a way to make a career of it. For Plowman, the process was a natural fit. “It was so easy—finding a space and putting the artists together. It’s really like a relationship in so many ways; I knew it was right from the start and that it worked,” she says.
A former schoolteacher, Plowman worked in other pro-fessional fields in California and vacationed in Park City in the ’70s. Her segue into the world of art actually began when she became the business manager for Lyman Whitaker, the creator of the mesmerizing wind sculptures visible outside the gallery. Finding that Whitaker wasn’t represented in Utah had to be a twist of fate: it led her back to an environment she loved and gave her the impetus to create her own gallery space. In addition to Whitaker, the majority of the artists represented at Iron Horse are friends Plowman met through the years and sought out once she owned her own gallery.
“When I look around, I see a lot of color,” Plowman says, laughing. “A lot of the images here are either fun, or comforting and soothing.” Joanne Battiste’s large, bold paintings of women are an example of the humorous. Her works often have tongue-in-cheek titles, such as the painting of a full-bodied beauty with an upturned nose, holding a pie, titled, “The Upper Crust.” Battiste’s paintings capture the humor and irony of all that is feminine, and promise to draw a smile from viewers. In contrast to these colorful, whimsical works are Frederick Stephens’ soothing, dreamlike landscapes of stormy, sleepy, pastoral scenes.
Fear not. This is not a pushy, elitist environment. Plow- man’s joie de vie is infectious, and sure to put potential buyers at ease Although the artists represented here are internationally acclaimed, this gallery owner is more interested in potential buyers finding a work that makes them feel good. Plowman tells customers to take time and get comfortable with the artwork in her gallery. “I tell people that if [a piece of art] speaks to them, if it is something they can’t get out of their minds, if it is something they will appreciate five or 10 years from now, then they should consider buying it.”
Vanessa Reichartinger Conabee, although a resident of Utah for the past 11 years, still considers herself a Maine native. When she isn’t busy chasing after her 1-year-old son, Earl, she is writing, painting or enjoying the great outdoors.
Iron Horse Gallery, located at 1205 Iron Horse Drive, exhibits works by local and nationally known artists. Discover lively oil paintings, watercolors, pastels, mixed-media pieces, jewelry, bronze sculptures and artistic fountains. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the gallery at 615.6900 or toll-free at 877.615.6900. www.ironhorseartgallery.com.
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