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In this original watercolor, two skiers navigate the rich white powder of the ski slopes of Dollar Mountain, the beginner’s training slope of the Sun Valley Ski Resort in central Idaho.  Another skier observes from the top of the slope.  In the distance is a wide, sunlit vista which includes a cluster of lodge buildings and the surrounding mountains.  The artist’s skillful command of the watercolor medium is exhibited in the subtle washes that convey the play of light and shadow on the snow.  For dramatic effect, Bradley juxtaposes small scale figures and manmade structures against the immense grandeur of the white slopes that stretch into the distance.

The painting bears the label of the New York City store of Abercrombie & Fitch, with a numerical postal zone that dates the work to between 1943 and 1963.  The company was then a high-end specialty store concentrating on camping, fishing and hunting gear, and also dealt in sporting art for an affluent clientele.

Sun Valley opened in 1936, a project financed by Union Pacific Railroad Chairman Averell Harriman in what was Ketchum, an old mining town.  It quickly became a favored destination of the Hollywood elite and of Olympic champions who used the mountain for training.  Sun Valley remains a popular winter sports and entertainment resort to this day.

Original label (from verso when formerly framed): SUN VALLEY/ WATERCOLOR BY STEPHEN BRADLEY/ SPORTING BOOKS, PRINTS AND PAINTINGS/ Abercrombie & Fitch Co./ The Greatest Sporting Goods Store in the World/ MADISON AVE. AT 45th ST., NEW YORK 17, N. Y.

Reference:

“Discovering an American Shangri-La.”  Sun Valley, Idaho.  2005.  http://www.sunvalley.com/resort_info/info_history.cfm (3 August 2005).