My London friends ask me why I love to spend a lot of my year in the Rocky Mountains above Deer Valley and Ogden, Utah.  I understand why acquaintances  and life-long friends ask this question;  London and the Wild West are two very different worlds.  Many years ago, my wife and I were foolish youngsters who wanted a big, old house we could fill with our growing collections.  We found a fabulous, very large one which was built in 1917 by the great dam builder E.O. Wattis (Boulder Dam, East Bay, Pineview, etc.) on a design of Frank Lloyd Wright.  We have made this home our main residence while we travel and live in many parts of the world.

While living in the West, I have met some of the finest artists who paint this rich and varied landscape.  I was made very aware years ago that the Intermountain West has one of the richest art traditions in the country.  I have gathered paintings by artists like Robert Call, Steve Songer, Homer Clark, and Jerry Hancock.

As my life became more complicated and varied, I realized that I needed an office–and an old building of the West would due, in fact it would be perfect.  So my son Thomas Jr. and I bought an 1856 building which as been restored to a very high level.  The building is where my London Connection office is located–6,000 square feet of beautiful space which I have filled with more than 100 western paintings;  some of them are 3 feet X 5 feet in size.  There are a few portraits of the Queen dotted about–may seem strange–but my two worlds that I live in and enjoy find expression on my filled walls.  And I love it very much.

Tonight, my dear friend Jerry Hancock had a show of his fabulous farm animals which drew crowds from all over the West. Visitors could hardly get in the door of the Eccles Art Center.  The images were spectacular–some of the paintings were first place winners from art exhibitions all over the country.  Over the years, I have purchased 53 of Jerry’s works, and I give them to my children who prize them as I do.

I realize this is a LONDON BLOG, but I felt my kind readers would like to hear about this great painter and see some of his paintings.  If you are interested in seeing some of his works and contacting Jerry, I will be happy to put you in contact.  He is a great man with the traits of great people:  the easy manner, a sense of quality, and a great desire to share his work.  You would enjoy talking to him.

Let me post a few of the paintings.  These are my images that I took at the show tonight, so they are not perfect.  But they will give you a good idea of the quality of this great painter.  If you love horses or buffalo as I do, you will understand his work.  He spent his life on a very large 5,000 acre farm in West Weber–very successful in so many ways.  His family were friends of Willard Marriott’s family who lived in the next small town down the lane:  Marriott, Utah.

Fun Fun Fun — Goodness, this is great fun!

Thomas Moore   email:  TMooreSr@me.com    Telephone:  801.791.9918

http://www.londonconnection.com