The Ore House Art Collection Story
Today, over 30 original works by 16 local, regional, and nationally acclaimed artists grace the walls of the Ore House. Watercolors, oil paintings, drawings in charcoal as well as pen and ink, and Native American weavings and baskets comprise the collection of western-themed art.
The first works to be traded (one-third of the total collection) were watercolor and pen-and-ink drawings of area mines created on site by artist Jean Dreyer. Her son Ron was a regular customer at the Ore House and over time, he traded nine of her drawings for Ore House meals. Many of these mining structures have given way to time and the elements, so Jean’s drawings represent an act of preservation and a look into the area’s mining history.
Since everyone needs to eat, word got out to other artists that the Ore House was ‘artist friendly’ and a venue to show their artwork in exchange for eating good food – and the collection began to grow.
The Ore House catered a number of gatherings of the Cowboy Artists of America (CAA), an exclusive organization whose purpose is “to authentically preserve and perpetuate the culture of western life in Fine Art.”
It is only fitting that Joe Beeler’s painted bison skull, adorned with the signatures of famous artists who embody all that is iconic and beloved about the West, welcomes every visitor as they enter the Ore House today.
From John Grow’s whimsical period portrayal of historic downtown Durango, to Jean Dreyer’s acts of preservation in pen-and-ink, to all the other paintings, watercolors, drawings and weavings, the Ore House art collection offers unique views on western life and something for just about everyone’s taste. So take some time to browse the walls and enjoy the visual feast!
John Grow
John Grow was born in Evanston, Illinois. He attended Northwestern University, where he received a degree in studio art and certification in art education. After graduation, John worked briefly in a Chicago advertising firm where he mastered technical drawing skills. The corporate life did not suit John, however, and a year later, he took a one-year position teaching high school art in Las Animas, Colorado. When the contract ended, John moved to Durango, where he has been living and creating art since 1978.
In 1990, John was commissioned to paint a mural that, according to him, would “capture the essence of Durango…a truth about the industrial West excluding the telephone and electrical wires.” He set the mural’s scene in 1900 on the street in downtown Durango, with the Smelter belching steam in the background. The mural is focused around a miner showing a large gold nugget to a young girl. Also represented are a miner and his mule, a nod to the Ore House logo.
In the mural, John included many cultural icons of the West: John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Theodore Roosevelt, Chief Ouray, Tonto, and the Lone Ranger. In addition, John pictured himself among an array of family and friends, including the founders of the Ore House, Beatle Abshagen & Jim Arias.
When painting the mural, John researched extensively, using historical photographs and documents to add accuracy to architectural, technological and fashion details of the period. He used artistic license and imagination, however, in reconfiguring the downtown streets and building locations to serve the overall design, aesthetics and concept of the mural painting.
Throughout the mural are imaginative details such as the partial words “Ore House” reflecting in a second story window, as well as a Columbine blossom, Colorado’s state flower, nestled behind the ear of the mule.
John is well known in the region for his realistic oil paintings. His subject matter ranges from whimsical and symbolic portraits of people inhabiting imaginary places, to images of contemporary small town life, inspiring landscapes, and exacting paintings of trains and historic Colorado railroads.
The recipient of numerous Best of Show Awards, John is also an award winning scholar and filmmaker.
For more information, visit www.JohnGrowArt.com
Jean Dryer
The following information was taken from a biography found on the back of one of her paintings. No current info can be found on the artist.
Jean Dreyer, a Colorado artist living in the Front Range, has made it a lifetime ambition to capture the romance of the Old West in her paintings. Her own pioneer family background has been an inspiration to record early history in buildings and scenes from ghost towns, ranches and railroads of the West.
Jake Kelly
“My background in science helps me to understand the forces and processes of nature, especially regarding light’s interaction with the natural world.”
Born in Walla Walla, Washington, Jake Kelly enjoyed summers in the mountains, soaking up the beauty and dramatic nature of the outdoors.
A self-taught artist, Jake’s background in physics instilled in him an acute observational ability that he brings to each painting. His paintings exhibit a “blending of the grand scale and the discovered detail in ways that compliment the whole.” A careful and thoughtful artist, Jake takes his time with the smallest details in each work and does not mass-produce paintings.
In 1991, Jake painted a portrait of Joe Hotter (of the well-established Durango ranching family) which adorns the walls of the Ore House. Jake recalled, “I had an A-frame up by Purgatory ski resort and Joe Hotter’s ranch was right across the highway. Joe used to go out and whistle for his quarter horses every morning, so I got to know him moderately well…he represented the perfect cowboy to me.”
For more information about Jake, visit www.jakekellyart.com
Jim Rey
"I strive to take a thought and bring in my way of looking at things to situations I care about."
Jim Rey spent his young adulthood in California where he worked as an illustrator and art director in San Francisco. In 1976, Jim and his family moved to Durango so he could be closer to the landscapes that most inspired his paintings: the mountains, ranch land, and high deserts of the region. These unique environments inspired Jim’s paintings of life in the contemporary American West.
Jim is self-taught and has spent over 45 years as a professional artist. He enjoys researching, sketching, photographing and painting the activities taking place at ranches and on the land.
His paintings are represented in numerous western art collections such as The Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska and have been exhibited in many shows including the Fredric Remington Museum in New York.
Bantam Books has used his paintings as cover illustrations for Louis L'Amour and Bonanza books and other promotional materials. Numerous magazines and newspapers have published articles about Jim’s work including Art of the West, Southwest Art and Artists of the Rockies, and International Fine Art Magazine.
The painting in the Ore House is titled “Which Way” capturing the feeling of two cowboys riding through a dust storm.
For more information about Jim, visit www.jimreystudio.com
Joe Beeler
A founding member of Cowboy Artists of America (CAA), Joe Beeler was a pioneer of contemporary Western art, elevating the Old West genre to contemporary appreciation. He was accomplished in illustration, painting and sculpture, emulating his heroes Charles Russell and Frederic Remington, and advancing realism to a new height.
Born in Missouri in 1931, Joe’s talent in art was recognized at an early age. As a boy, he also developed his love for Western life and heritage by learning to fish, hunt, ride, and shoot. Additionally, Joe had Cherokee ancestry and took part in seasonal powwows in Oklahoma with his Native American relatives. After serving in the Korean War, Joe earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kansas State Teachers College in 1957 and continued his studies at the Art Center School in Los Angeles. He taught at Tulsa University and Kansas State Teachers College, which helped to further solidify his artistic background. Joe’s career as a commercial artist began with illustration assignments for the University of Oklahoma Press. He continued as a free-lance illustrator and began selling his work to ranchers.
In 1960, Joe had a one-man show at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which launched his fine art career. He went on to receive wide acclaim and many national honors and awards. Joe’s sculptures, paintings and illustrations have been displayed in numerous museums including the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Heard Museum, the Charles M. Russell Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
The Joe Beeler Foundation was established by CAA to support the “development and education of artists in the traditions of the Cowboy Artists of America.”
“I could always draw. It just came naturally to me.”
“Painting has been a part of my life since I was a teenager, with rural landscapes being my dominant theme. The southwest landscape offers me endless opportunities and continues to inspire me on a daily basis.”
Milt Beens
J. Milton Beens, a painter and a potter, earned an undergraduate degree in painting and printmaking at Weber State College in Ogden, Utah, and a masters degree in ceramics from the University of Montana, Missoula. An avid outdoorsman, Milt has been creating works of art that are inspired by his love of the landscapes found in the American Southwest. Milt considers himself a “modified impressionist,” explaining that “Color is probably the most intuitive aspect of my works, but shadow and light are an inspirational component of all of my paintings.”
In addition to being a professional artist, Milt has taught college art classes and workshops, organized art exhibitions, and managed ceramics facilities and galleries. He has been a ‘potter-in-residence’ and in 2015, was selected as the ‘Artist-in-Residence’ at Mesa Verde National Park.
Since 1976, Milt and his wife have lived near Durango, where he maintains a studio and works as a full-time artist creating ceramic pottery and plein air paintings.
Milt shows his artistic work locally at Artisans of Mancos, in Mancos, Colorado, and is represented in private and corporate collections across the country.
Mary Lou Murray
“I am intrigued by trying to tell a story through my paintings. I try to convey more than just an image of what is in front of me - I trust my viewer to put his or her own spin on what I have painted. it is my hope that the viewer wants to enter the painting and wander around.”
Mary Lou Murray grew up in the Midwest where her interest in art began at age 8. As a young student, she took art classes at the Des Moines Art Center in Iowa. Mary Lou’s passion for art led her to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where she began her studies as an art major.
She has been a resident of Durango, Colorado since 1981 and paints extensively in the Four Corners region. She has exhibited at numerous venues in the Durango area, Arizona, and New Mexico. Her work is held in collections across the country.
For more information about Mary Lou, visit www.MaryLouMurrayArt.com
Ted (Theodore) Sooter
Ted Sooter was born in Del Norte, Colorado and joined the Navy when he was 17 years old. After his military service, he relocated to the Durango area where his mother's family was one of the first pioneer families to settle in Animas City. An industrious and creative businessman, Ted made his living as a masonry contractor. Additionally, he was an accomplished painter, creating scenes of life in the West. He loved spending his time fishing, hunting, camping and panning for gold, where he drew inspiration for his western themes. At the apex of his art career, his oil paintings hung in galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona and Santa Fe, New Mexico. One of his paintings was even exhibited in a juried show at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Paul E.Gray
Paul E. Gray was born in 1906 in Maine. He was an accomplished landscape artist who began his pursuit of painting in New Hampshire after studying art at Harvard, Vesper George School in Boston and at Grand Central Art School in New York City. He exhibited at Montross Galleries in New York and maintained studios at the Hotel Chelsea in NYC (1928-1958), and in Woodstock, New York, and, until the end of his life in North Wolfeboro, N.H. Paul was active as an artist and belonged to many art associations during his life.
Geanita John
Navajo pictorial weaver Geanita John was born at Fort Defiance, Arizona in 1958. She was born to the Mexican Clan and the Red Bottom Clan.
The family moved to Tsalie Lake, not far from the famous Canyon de Chelly, where she learned to weave with her mother at around age 10. Her mother would string the loom for her and she would weave small rugs. Geanita recalls, “I only did it in the summer to buy school clothes.”
At 18, when Geanita met and married Dennison John, a Navajo silversmith, she learned more advanced weaving skills from her mother-in-law Isabel John, who was a groundbreaking pictorial weaver. “Isabel taught me how to set up a loom and how to weave pictorials,” she says. “I liked looking out onto a scene and then seeing if I could make it on my loom.”
Her real enjoyment comes from weaving traditional scenes. Geanita’s first large traditional scene is in the permanent collection of the Center for Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango.
“I kept buying natural wool from my grandmother because she kept spinning it for me. I had a lot of wool and my kids encouraged me to start weaving again, to carry on the tradition.”
Geanita attributes much of her breakthrough to working with different subjects. She wove a pictorial at the request of the Ore House Restaurant in Durango, Colorado, picturing the restaurant with a miner and his burro walking up to the front door.
“I like looking out onto a scene and then seeing if I could make it on my loom.”
