29 Oct Editor’s Note: Ushering in a Season of Change

Even before I started writing the Collector’s Notebook for Western Art & Architecture, I loved the magazine’s oversized, glossy pages filled with gorgeous photos and insightful stories. Honestly, it’s one of the only magazines I collect because each issue is like an oasis on a hectic day. So, why, you may be wondering, am I writing this letter from the editor? Excellent question.

Christine Rogel announced last month that she is moving on to a new chapter in her life. A few days after she announced her departure, publisher Jared Swanson called asking if I would consider editing the magazine. As a freelance writer/curator/art advisor, I have a few irons in the fire. So, I agreed, but with the caveat that I could start as interim editor and see if it fits in my world, and in turn, if I am a fit for the magazine.

My first order of business is to give Christine Rogel a shout-out for her many years as editor and collaborator. She has a terrific eye and an ear for prose. I always enjoyed brainstorming article ideas with her and listening to her insights on how to make a story better. I am excited to see what she does next and wish her the best of luck.

If you are like me and look forward to each issue of WA&A, you won’t be disappointed. In this issue, we dive into the lives of artists, architects, and designers who strive for authenticity in all they do. Take printmaker Joel Ostlind, whose first critique of his drawings and watercolors came from the art director for the Marlboro cigarette ads, who happened to be shooting scenes for a campaign on the ranch where Joel was working as a cowboy. Yes, Joel is the real deal. So is Linda Lillegraven, whose work captures the quiet beauty – and the disquiet – in the windswept Wyoming landscape she has called home for decades. How she captures both sensations is the burning question we sought to answer. And sculptor Pati Stajcar, too, approaches the natural materials she carves with a sense of working within nature instead of bending nature to her will.

Even the architects and designers featured in these pages take their cue directly from nature. The idea of making spaces that bring natural elements inside to surround people with a deep sense of place is so uniquely of the West. The home designed by Fergus Garber Architects is a great example. Clad in reclaimed cypress, it overlooks a preserved heirloom orchard. And then there’s a “forever” home near Tahoe that we spotlight for its massive glass doors that open entire walls and bring the outside in.

And so, as fall turns to winter, we all wish you a joyful holiday season and a very happy, art-filled New Year.

Sincerely,

Rose Fredrick, Editor in Chief
rose@westernartandarchitecture.com