Jackson Hole-based artist-alpinist Dave McNally exhibits new paintings in the ArtSpace Theater Gallery.

Growing up in Chicago, Illinois,  McNally studied art at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art. After school, he relocated to Jackson in the early 80s to pursue his passions of painting and mountaineering. He has a close connection to nature, the mountain environment and the people that live there. This serves as the inspiration for his art.

In 1988 McNally was invited to join the Wyoming Centennial Everest Expedition as expedition artist – a very rare opportunity, since explorers stopped relying on artists to record their expeditions with the advent of the camera. He accepted with enthusiasm and documented the trip in oil paint. This event changed the course of his journey and made it possible to combine his passions into a way of life.

Today, McNally is a veteran of mountaineering expeditions to some of the highest peaks around the world. In addition to making art, he has worked as Ski Patrol Director at Snow King Mountain and as an Exum mountain guide. He also operated Rocky Mountain Martial Arts, teaching the Okinawan style Isshin Ryu karate. These varied endeavors led him to create his own Himalayan guide service, Mountain Odyssey Treks and Expeditions.

Today McNally focuses less on guiding as he plans to spend more time on painting expeditions, exploring the peaks and valleys of the world's mountain ranges and the acquainting himself with the colorful people who live in them. He is a participant in the Western Visions Miniature Show at the National Museum of Wildlife Art and a member of Portrait Society of America.