Our cover this month, Amy Ringholz’s “Home Grown” (48 in. by 36 in.), sold for $9,360 at the 2015 Jackson Hole Art Auction in Jackson, Wyo. on Sept. 18-19, 2015. Ringholz is best known for her contemporary spin on western art, predominantly painting wildlife in atypical color combinations.
A Cleveland native, Ringholz became enamored with the West after studying for a year at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M. and made the move to Jackson Hole, Wyo. soon after. Her enchantment with the incredible wildlife has been the driving force in her work, which almost exclusively consists of the animals she encounters in her surroundings. Her niche is painting the eyes of the subjects with a human-like quality to them, almost as if they’re making eye contact with the viewer. She explains that the purpose is to convey her emotions at that moment but at the same time, allow the audience to search deeper and make their own connection with the piece. Though Ringholz periodically travels to exotic wildlife locales, she’s deeply rooted and grateful to Jackson Hole’s community and support for her career.
Like Ringholz, who maintains strong ties with Jackson Hole, many clients develop ties with specific people and places, which often may extend to countries other than the United States. These connections help expand their horizons and may result in potential tax savings, but they can make estate planning more complicated. In this environment, we need to be aware not only of domestic estate-planning requirements, but also of those abroad.