As autumn deepens in Park City, the rhythm of the mountains shifts. The golden aspens release their last leaves, and the air grows sharper with the promise of winter. It is in this season of transition that elk and moose make their quiet yet monumental journeys, descending from higher elevations into valleys where food and shelter remain accessible through the snowbound months ahead. To witness these migrations is to be reminded of the timeless cycles of the natural world—movements that have shaped life in the West for centuries.

From October through December, the high country’s deepening snow compels these animals into lower elevations and open meadows. Elk gather in impressive herds, their bugling calls fading with the season but their movements no less striking as they traverse ridgelines and cross the open valley floors around Park City. Moose, more solitary by nature, often follow willow-lined streambeds and wetlands, where food remains available despite the cold. Residents and visitors alike may encounter these majestic creatures along backcountry trails or even at the edges of neighborhoods—a reminder that wild migration still threads through the very fabric of our mountain town.

At Gallery MAR, this annual migration finds expression in the works of our Western wildlife artists, each capturing the spirit and resilience of these animals in their own unique style. Park City artist Ron Russon renders wildlife such as bear, bison, mountain goats, and moose in vibrant acrylics that dance between abstraction and representation. His bold use of color and geometric form echoes the dynamism of a herd in motion, or the solitary strength of a moose against a snowy ridge.

The artistic duo KOLLABS brings a layered sensibility to their mixed media works, portraying mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, bears, and bison. Their collaborative process mirrors the interconnectedness of nature itself, with each detail—antlers, textures, shadows—woven into a tapestry that honors the complexity of these creatures’ lives.

Similarly, James Penfield explores Western wildlife through his abstract acrylic paintings of deer, moose, wolves, rams, and bear. His gestural brushwork and atmospheric palettes evoke both the raw power of the wilderness and the ephemeral mystery of migration, where animals move through landscapes as both flesh and symbol.

In Park City, migration is not only a natural phenomenon but also a source of artistic inspiration. Through the eyes of these artists, we are invited to see elk and moose not simply as animals in passage, but as emblems of endurance, beauty, and the living heartbeat of the West. This season, as herds move quietly across our valleys and trails, Gallery MAR offers the chance to experience that same majesty on canvas—an autumn reminder to pause, witness, and carry the spirit of migration into our own lives.

 

---

Written by Veronica Vale

Tags: Animal Art, Elk, Elk Art, Elk Migration, Gallery MAR, James Penfield, Kollabs, Moose, Moose art, Moose Migration
Posted in Gallery News