By Western Hands
If you aren’t familiar with By Western Hands, we’re going to change that. This unique organization, located in Cody, Wyoming, is dedicated to educating, conserving, and perpetuating the legacy of Western design and craftsmanship. “By Western Hands focuses on functional art—art that is beautiful and has a function,” says
Beautiful Moments, Dramatic Light
If you ever find yourself looking at a colored pencil painting by Eileen Nistler and want to climb inside it, you’re feeling exactly how the artist felt when she created it. “When I look at something from history, I feel like I want to crawl into it and have
Answering the Call
Ten years ago, Starr Hardridge accidentally discovered the style that now defines his work. A citizen of the Muscogee Creek nation, he was invited to submit work for the Return from Exile show, which was planned to spotlight artists from the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee Creek, and Seminole tribes.
Poetic Landscapes
June Dudley’s vibrant paintings capture a moment in time, an emotion, a ghost of memory. Combined with dynamic lighting and design, her attunement with color creates a mood that is sometimes whimsical, sometimes majestic, but is always inviting and approachable. “One of my collectors told me, ‘I have not
Keeping It Fresh
“I don’t like clichés,” says Western artist Brett James Smith. He recognizes that his chosen genre is replete with familiar tropes: the backlit pastoral scene, the regal Native American chief, the faithful dog, the sunlit brook, the swaggering cowboy. Although you will find those landscapes and figures in Smith’s
The Beauty of Birds
As long as there are birds in the skies, Bill Rice will sculpt them. That’s essentially the work ethic, the focus, and the passion with which he has been operating for more than 40 years as an artist who specializes in avian wood carvings. The winner of several awards,
The Excitement of Plein Air Painting
“I look at the world as color notes.” So says Michele Usibelli, and to realize the truth of that statement, all you have to do is look at one of her paintings. Splashes of color and bursts of light jump off the canvas, almost daring you to look away.
The Studio of Dustin Van Wechel
Before wildlife artist Dustin Van Wechel built his current studio, he worked at an easel standing alone in the corner of a “disturbingly sparse” room in his Arizona home. At the time, fellow artist Krystii Melaine stopped in for a visit and was excited to see the studio of
