Jeff Segler, official National Artist of the Boy Scouts of America is showing his work, including a giclee art printing on canvas and the original drawing of Segler’s oil painting ‘Boys of Pajarito Plateau’ as well as note cards in singles and packs of 10 and signed and numbered art prints on paper at the Karen Wray Gallery at 1247 Central Ave. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
Jeff Segler, official National Artist of the Boy Scouts of America (2015-present) is a longtime resident of Los Alamos. His painting, “Boys of Pajarito Plateau” commemorating the Los Alamos Ranch School (1917-1943) is part of the exhibit, Norman Rockwell: The American Scouting Collection at the Medici Museum of Art in Warren, Ohio. This is the largest collection of Rockwell paintings (66 total) ever exhibited in one location.
“The Boys of Pajarito Plateau” was specifically requested to be included in the prestigious collection after the Los Alamos County Council turned down the Art in Public Places Board recommendation to purchase the painting for Fuller Lodge. Also, the piece was requested because of Segler’s position as National Artist, Segler said.
“There have been only three National Artists,” Segler said, “Norman Rockwell held the position for the first 60 years of the BSA, followed by Joseph Csatari for the next 40 years.”
Segler is only the third in the history of Scouting.
“It’s a great honor to be included in their company,” he said. “Despite being turned down locally, the painting has a very prominent new home.”
A giclee art printing on canvas and the original drawing of Segler’s oil painting of the Los Alamos Ranch School boys, as well as note cards in singles and packs of 10 and signed and numbered art prints on paper are for sale at the Karen Wray Gallery, at 1247 Central Ave. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday though Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Segler wanted to be a cowboy when he was a kid growing up in Alabama. Instead, he found his calling as a Western oil painter.
“In 1977 I got a job as a cowboy in a living history program at Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico. I worked in the program for seven years,” he said. “During my time at the ranch, I began painting professionally, particularly cowboy subjects. I signed on with galleries in Ft. Worth and Santa Fe and started showing my work around the Southwest. I still go on cattle drives with them, which continues to inspire my paintings.”
Down the road, Segler found success as a professional artist. A recent honor was being invited to join the exclusive Salmagundi Art Club in Greenwich Village, New York. The Salmagundi is the oldest Art Club in America and is a who’s who of American Painters for the past 150 years including Thomas Moran, N.C. and Andrew Wyeth, Norman Rockwell and many others. Moran was president of the Club in the 1890s, Segler said. In 2012 he helped found The Artists of the American West and has won many prestigious awards for his oil paintings. He is represented by galleries in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Dallas, Texas; White Fish, Mont. and Santa Fe. Most recently, his work is being shown in Los Alamos at Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery.
Segler also found time for a brief career at Los Alamos National Laboratory in design and multimedia. He left the Lab to start an imaging software company. He lived in Santa Fe from 1984 to 2016 when he returned to Los Alamos.
In 2016, the Eagle Scout who has been involved with scouting for more than 50 years, took on one of his most ambitious and time-consuming projects, one that was very close to his heart.
“David Carr, prominent Los Alamos community supporter, approached me about doing a painting that would commemorate the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the Los Alamos Ranch School and Troop 22,” Segler said. “The founders of the Ranch School built their new program on the philosophy of Baden Powell’s fledgling BSA, which was less than 10 years old at the time. Troop 22 sprung out of the Ranch School and was the first and only mounted Scout troop in all of Scouting. Every boy at the school was a member of the troop, and every boy was issued a horse for the duration of their stay at the Ranch School.”
The Los Alamos Historical Society and Historic Review Board were very enthusiastic about the proposed painting, so Segler began researching all the details of lifestyle and dress at the School, he said.
“I started collecting authentic uniforms from the time,” Segler said. “From reading historical accounts and looking at photographs, I assembled enough complete historical Ranch School uniforms to outfit four boys. If I couldn’t find key elements, I had them made, including the Stetson hats. Authenticity and accuracy was essential. In the end, I was able to outfit local boys as Ranch School reenactors.”
The original proposed painting was 72”x 55”. Segler began with a graphite drawing of the concept, which then led to a 30”x 24” color study in oils of the final painting. The Art in Public Places Board felt the large version was too big and settled for purchasing the study as the final, he said.
Around six years ago, the first presentation to the Art in Public Places Board to purchase the painting occurred. The Board ultimately suggested $68,000 as the purchase price, Segler said. Many more presentations followed over the years. A large public poll was conducted around 2018 on whether the County should purchase the painting. An enthusiastic 72 percent of local citizens voted for the painting to be purchased and hung in Fuller Lodge. It was the largest response to any APPB poll to date, he said.
After 5 years of study, public surveys and multiple Board personnel changes, the Art in Public Places Board agreed on the purchase and a location in Fuller Lodge for “The Boys of Pajarito Plateau”. They scheduled a presentation to the County Council. The APP Board asked Segler not to attend, he remembered. The Council quickly turned the Board’s recommendation down.
“The APPB Chair scheduled to make the presentation backed out less than an hour before the meeting,” Segler said. “The person who filled in didn’t explain that the painting was about the Ranch School boys, not the Boy Scouts,” Segler said. “The BSA is wrapping up a massive lawsuit about sexual abuse charges that took place over decades leading up to the 1980s. Safety measures have been put in place over the past 30-40 years but it tarnished scouting’s reputation, and I was told later this was the reason the APP Board’s proposal was overruled by the Council, although the Los Alamos Ranch School boys were a completely separate organization from the Boy Scouts. Scouting was merely one of the many programs offered at the Ranch School. Unfortunately, the County Council’s ultimate decision was based on misinformation.”
This was a major disappointment, especially after garnering such popular public support and dragging on for over five years, but Segler is philosophical.
“The painting belongs in Los Alamos, but I’m not complaining about its higher profile location being with the world’s largest Norman Rockwell Exhibition,” he said. “We’ll see what the future brings.”