Through his photos, award winning photographer Myron Beck (Los Angeles, CA) inspires us to dream and embrace the beauty that surrounds us in the people we see, the environments in which we thrive and the diverse cultures that enrich our lives.

www.myronbeck.com
 

Weekend event offers 3 days of Western shopping and 1 historic auction

Brian Lebel's Old West Show & Auction fills the Denver Merchandise Mart's Expo building this June 25-27, 2010 for its 21st annual celebration of the arts and antiques of the American West. This year's Saturday night auction will include select items from the Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum Collection in addition to other fine Cowboy, Indian and Western art and artifacts. The Show runs Friday through Sunday and features Western dealers, artists and craftsmen selling their best antique and contemporary merchandise. Admission to the show is $5; the auction and auction preview are free.

Show Highlights, June 25-27, 2010
This is the show's second year at the Denver Merchandise Mart, a venue that has allowed the event to grow in size and scope since relocating from Cody, WY. The Old West Show now boasts approximately 200 dealers specializing in an impressive and eclectic collection of antiques, art, apparel, jewelry, furnishings, collectibles, firearms, custom gear, cowboy trappings, books, boots and more. A Friday night gallery-walk/cocktail party kicks-off the weekend festivities and other special events are in the works.

Auction Highlights, June 26, 2010
Fine art offerings from this year's auction include past and present Cowboy Artists of America members such as John Moyers, Bill Nebeker, Mehl Lawson, Nicholas Firfires, Joe Beeler, and Nick Eggenhofer. Additional artists of note include Charlie Russell, Maynard Dixon, Will James, Edward Borein, Howard Post, Joe De Yong, Ace Powell, Marjorie Reed and George Brandriff. Also included will be items from the Richard Flood collection.

Native American artifacts at auction include a number of fine examples of 19th century Northern Plains beadwork (many with American flag motifs), Navajo silver bridles, clothing and textiles. Historic and collectible firearms are represented by the Roy Rogers' collection, but also by an important Henry Rifle with history from Maine to Arizona Territory.

The Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum pieces include Roy's gun collection, his hunting memorabilia and safari trophies, clothing and photos, as well as his classic 1964 Lincoln convertible and his last motorcycle. Additional information on the auction, including highlights, bidding options, catalog orders and breaking news can all be found at www.denveroldwest.com.

News and Updates
at High Noon
Two upcoming auctions celebrating the joy and legacy that Roy and Dale have spread throughout the world!

June 26, 2010 - Denver, CO- The Roy Rogers Personal Firearms Collection will be sold at Brian Lebel's Old West Auction (www.DenverOldWest.com). Roy's personal firearms collection will be sold including his very first belt and double holster rig, made by Ed Gilmore of North Hollywood, CA in 1938. Artifacts supporting Roy's avid sports (hunting) interests will be offered along with his classic 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible. The 300+ lot auction includes other fine, Cowboy, Indian and Western art and artifacts and pairs with a 3-day, 200-dealer, antique and contemporary show. www.DenverOldWest.com

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July 14-15th, 2010 - Manhattan, NYC- High Noon & Christie's Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum Sale  - The definitive and final sale of all other property including the most important and iconic pieces from the museum will be sold via a partnership with High Noon and Christie's New York City.

That sale will include silver parade saddles, Roy's autographed sports memorabilia, costuming (Nudie's clothing, hats, boots, traveling trunks), personal photos, fishing gear, badges, toys, trophies and awards. Highlights include the family dining table hand made by George Montgomery, Dale Evans' charm bracelet chronicling 40 years, legendary silver dollar and longhorn adorned Nudies of North Hollywood convertible Bonneville that Roy and Dale used in special appearances, the famous Nellybelle jeep from the 1950s TV Show and, arguably, the most famous horse of all time, Trigger. (www.highnoon.com) (www.christies.com) or call High Noon (310) 202-9010 for more information and updated information and photos.

Interior designer extraordinaire, Kris Lajeskie tells how to merge collecting with everyday homelife.

Living With Your Collections


There's something special about those who have embraced the Western and Native American lifestyles. It's a passion that runs deep for the art, the pottery, the textiles, the leatherwork, the furnishings - the history and the richness. The passion for collecting runs deep as well. Some have small collections while others amass enormous collections running the gamut from world-class saddles to art that could fill a museum.

What to do with these collections so they become part of your life and lifestyle instead of taking up space in boxes in the garage or worse yet, locked away in storage where they can't be enjoyed?

This month, Smoke Signals is very honored to prescribe the ultimate remedy for this problem. She's as passionate about your collections as you are, yet has the amazing ability to take your treasures and incorporate them, in the most elegant manner, into your home and lifestyle. She's Kris Lajeskie - Kris Lajeskie Design.

Interior designer extraordinaire - absolutely, but she's much more. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and a look at some of the rooms and environments she has created reveals her rich and dynamic approach to showcasing art and artifacts. Kris understands that creating a collection is a very personal and serious endeavor. To that end, she sees her role as that of curator, showcasing pieces while paying attention to every detail from lighting down to the perfect nail head.

According to Kris, the biggest challenge when working with these important collections is to ensure that they do not lose their impact and individual beauty when they enter the home. So often, collections become displayed in a way that does not do them justice. "I consider myself a purist," says Kris. It's of utmost importance to her to retain the purity of a collection - focus, presentation and balance, and yes, the ever-present air of understated elegance.

While Kris has worked on projects around the world, from the finest hotels to penthouses in New York, her genuine love for her clients and respect for their collections rings through in every project. "I have a ball with my clients! I don't ever want to interrupt their passion for collecting." Kris designs homes and environments to her client's tastes - not her own. She approaches each project as a collaborate effort. She grows with her clients as their collections continue to grow, tweaking, adjusting, or completely re-doing. "Working with collectors is an ongoing and dynamic process. They never stop collecting so my role continues for years."

Kris creates and designs from her heart. She works with a number of hand-selected artisans worldwide to create the perfect accessory or showcase. She's a perfectionist, she's fun, she's genuine and her creativity knows no bounds.

Kris Lajeskie
www.krislajeskiedesign.com
kris@krislajeskiedesign.com


Photo of interior and carved display cabinet by Grey Crawford.

This month, Smoke Signals talks with Norm and Jeanine Moldenhauer about their passion and knowledge of Indian baskets.

Norm and Jeanine Moldenhauer


Is there anything quite more infectious than the full belly laugh of Norm Moldenhauer? Sunny. Charming. Genuine. That's Norm and wife Jeanine and, for over 14 years, High Noon has been honored to have them as treasured members of our family.

But don't let that "sunny" disposition fool you. Norm is, hands down, one of the foremost experts in Indian baskets and the world of Western and Cowboy collecting. Ask Norm about art or arrowheads and his astounding in-depth knowledge casually comes to the surface.

Norm opened his first store, Treasure Trails Indian Shop, in 1966 inside the Disneyland Hotel. But that was just the beginning. In 1967, he opened Norm's Trading Post in South Laguna (CA) where he acquired his first major collection of 360 Indian baskets. This was one of the largest and most important collections to ever come on the market and Norm jumped at the opportunity to own it. He purchased the collection for $11,000, then sold it for double the price...Today, that collection would easily fetch $300,000!

In 1974, Norm opened Southwestern Antiques & Gallery in Laguna Beach. It was during this time that he was able to buy the Eugenia Foster Collection of 1,800 baskets - the largest private collection to have ever been sold.

Norm may be all about baskets, but Jeanine holds her own chatting expertly about beaded Indian dresses, saddles, bits and spurs. An unstoppable team for over 27 years.

What a life they have had, the people they have met and adventures experienced, all which have fueled their passion and their knowledge.

For 28 years, Norm was a member of the Rancheros Visitadores. His role as saddle repair expert gave him the opportunity to know and share the experience of the 18-mile journey with the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Ronald Reagan to name just a few. While Norm stopped riding "the ride" about 5 years ago, it does his heart good to know his son Hal has stepped into his "un"fillable shoes. Hal's been on the ride for 13 years now and counting.

While today Norm and Jeanine are "retired" (that just means they no longer have a store) their schedules are full, doing shows across the country sharing their knowledge and their amazing collections. When asked if he loves to dance? Oh, there's that belly laugh and a story behind it that he's just not sharing...

From all of us at High Noon, we look forward to at least another 14 years of Norm and Jeanine and their infectious energy and pure sunshine around them.

This month, Smoke Signals makes room for more cowboy poetry from amy...


Truly Speakin'
by amy elizabeth

The ol' paint mare maybe ain't what she was,
And showin' her age in most everything she does.
She's all hair'd up before the first winter's snow,
And a bit stiff behind, but it don't hardly much show.

There's somethin' to be said 'bout a horse gettin' old,
A trustworthy mount is worth every penny her weight in gold.
Like her, I take in stride the days when my bones go to achin',
Turnin' a blind eye, as if I hadn't noticed my youths been taken.

She's good fer a roll, but it's just once over, 'nstead of again and again,
An' as fer me, I still get my kicks, but these days it's just now and then.
I used to sleep in, now I'm up with the chickens most every single day,
An' that paints' still down while the colts run the fence hollerin' for hay.

I may turn in early feelin' all wored out, and sometimes wake up stiff and sore,
But truly speakin' I ain't much good at admittin' some work ain't so easy anymore.
That mares' in a bar shoe and her hocks are creaky, but she's travelin' sound,
Perhaps our usefulness is the wisdom we can share on a new trail ain't yet found.



amy elizabeth ©2008
amyichi@yahoo.com

Stories of the Old West were an inspirational tool in my early cowboy poetry. Born in Chicago, Illinois, horses were sparse and cowboys few - but if there's a will there's a cowboy way. Today, home is on a small ranch in Arizona where horses are plentiful and cowboys are an arm's length away. I'm currently at work on a Western Romance Novel, and I just completed my first book of Western Folk Poetry. Sometimes you have to grab life by the reins, put weight in the stirrups, sit deep, and chance every mountain no matter how steep.
    
-amy elizabeth

     
NOW thru May 16, 2010 Human/Nature: Artists As Explorers in the Early American West  Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY
NOW thru May 30, 2010  The Art of Native American Basketry: A Living Tradition Exhibit  Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA