BY KAREN BOSSICK

Robbie Moore grew up tagging along with his father Robert Moore as he took part in Kneeland Gallery’s Plein Air Exhibitions, painting landscapes in and around the Sun Valley area.

“What I remember is all the leftovers—my brother and I loved to scarf down the pastries and the deli meats,” he recalled.

On Wednesday the younger Moore joined his father and other painters represented by Kneeland Gallery as they painted at the bottom of Sun Valley Resort’s River Run as part of Kneeland’s 33rd annual Plein Air Exhibition. This time, he was working as a guest artist painting his version of Bald Mountain as bicyclists pedaling by on the Wood River Trail stopped to admire his work.

“It’s such a surreal experience to be here doing this after all these years,” said Robbie Moore, 25. “I didn’t know I wanted to be an artist until I went to the University of Arkansas for a finance degree. Two years into a job as an accounting manager for a software startup, I decided: You know, I like art. So, I apprenticed with my father and now I’m doing a lot with galleries.”

Moore and others who took part in the Plein Air Exhibition will show the art they created from Wednesday’s day at River Run and today’s paint-in at Redfish Lake during Friday’s Gallery Walk.

Shari Kunz will hold a free painting demonstration at 1 p.m. that day—Friday, Aug. 2-- at Kneeland Gallery at 271 First Ave. N. And the Artist’s Reception will follow from 5 to 7:30 p.m. with Steven Lee Adams, Jack Braman, John Horejs, Shanna Kunz, Lori McNee, Robert and Robbie Moore and Garth Williams in the house.

“I learned from my father that a whole painting can be shaped around a single good shape,” said Robbie Moore. “And I love painting out in nature. It’s a challenge, but you can see things in person that a camera will never capture.”

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF FRIDAY’S GALLERY WALK:

GILMAN CONTEMPORARY, 661 Sun Valley Road, is showcasing Jason Wheatley’s exhibition “Language of the Birds.” The dreamlike still life paintings embrace the illustrative style of John James Audubon’s “Birds of America” series as they explore the relationship between fantastical ideas and recognizable imagery.

A lover of animals, his compositions include exotic birds, butterflies, fruit, flowers, moneys and aquarium fish. He also throws in metaphors, oddities and riddles, demonstrating a contemporary sense of whimsy. Wheatley will be in attendance during the Gallery Walk.

ANDERSON ARCHITECTURE on the second floor of 320 1st Ave. N., will showcase the work of Ketchum artists Jineen Griffith and Tina Cole.

Griffith will show plein-air oil paintings of local landscapes with a sneak peek at artwork that will be included in the Sun Valley Museum of Art’s “Idaho Rivers” exhibition in mid-September.

Cole will show monoprints, watercolors, giclee, and fine art prints of her favorite mountain scenes. She will also have a collection of art cards available for sale.

HEMMINGS GALLERY, 340 Walnut Ave., is showcasing the unique sculptures of Spencer Hansen (see today’s story in Eye on Sun Valley) and the abstract works of Ezra Siegel, a contemporary artist based in Chicago. Siegel’s father Arthur Siegel was a world-renowned photographer and his mother Irene Siegel, a multi-media artist.

Ezra majored in Art History and Architecture at Vassar College, then moved to Italy to copy the great master drawings in the Uffizi. He prepares his canvas with a homemade gesso--a mixture of paint and plaster—that allows him to control the degree of smoothness and absorbency. He then follows up with up to 30 layers of washes and thin paint to create a subtle, nuanced color and tone.

From afar his art looks minimalistic, but at close inspection they show complexity.

“We love his playful characters and motifs and people respond really well to his unique style and color,” said Gallery Owner Edward Hemmings. “There is so much depth and thought that goes into each piece, much more than one might initially expect!”

GAIL SEVERN GALLERY, 400 First Avenue North, will showcase the Western farmscapes of Michael Gregory. The gallery is also showcasing Maggie Shafran’s pencil, charcoal and thread still-life drawings evocative of 18th century Flemish flower painting and the minimalist, monochromatic abstract oil paintings of Pegan Brooke.

All three artists will conduct a free Artist Chat at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the gallery.

SUN VALLEY CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY, 320 1st Ave. N., is showcasing the dramatic and brightly colored landscapes that Sarah Winkler has painted from her Colorado studio atop a 9,000-foot peak. Recognized as a top rising female painter by ARTSY, the Manchester-born artist has lived in various countries from Malawi to Norway—all of which have inspired her stunning geological landscapes.

MESH GALLERY, 4th and Leadville Streets, showcases the photographic splendor of the Pioneer and Sawtooth Mountains as captured through the lens of Jeffery Lubeck.

SADDLETREE GALLERY, 360 East Ave., features trout art by Mike Pepper and more.

BROSCHOFSKY GALLERIES, 360 East Ave., features fine art with a contemporary and historic focus on the West.

STEJER STUDIO, 620 Sun Valley Road, features the artistically decorated cow skulls and encaustic works of Jodie Stejer, who creates art with fire, applying a fired torch to fuse together layers of beeswax, resin and pigment to create abstract art.

SUN VALLEY MUSEUM OF ART, Fifth and Washington streets, is exhibiting photographs by Tina Barney that she took while living in Sun Valley a few decades ago.