JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — It’s a massive bear, large enough to stop you in your tracks. Fear not, it is merely the 2-dimensional work of a local artist.
The giant grizzly is the work of Kathryn Mapes Turner. The painting, titled Outbound, is now on display as a fence banner between the Teton County Courthouse and general services building off of Simpson Street.
The original artwork was selected out of a large group of submissions in response to a public artist call in October 2021. The public art project—a joint partnership between Teton County and Jackson Hole Public Art—sought an image from a local artist to cover an otherwise nondescript fence in a highly trafficked zone.
What was originally an eleven-inch painting of Blondie (another well-known female grizzly bear often seen in Grand Teton National Park), is now over twelve-feet long and the artist hopes that it will spark joy and curiosity.
“The way I see it, joy is one of the best motivators for creating art! My work is drawn from the love and appreciation for this magnificent place I’ve always called home,” Turner said. “It is my hope that this image will bring joy to those who pass by it. I selected this image with movement that might lead folks along the path and serve as a reminder that we share this valley with the other wildlife creatures that also call it home.”
Turner is part of the fourth generation to be raised on the Triangle X Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. Turner has been featured in previous JH Public Art projects. She also owns and features her work at Turner Fine Art Gallery in Jackson.
