Most people probably know Arturo Chávez as an award-winning painter who masterfully captures the colors and shapes of Western landscapes. But there is more to this talented man—so much more. He is also a classical guitarist, a former pilot, a championship tango dancer, and a licensed commercial drone flyer. It is his love of painting, however, that drives him.

“I’ve been pushing paint for 40 years,” Chávez says. “My landscapes come from my heart. It’s my creativity. I’ve created more than 6,000 paintings. There’s a chain from my ankle to my easel.”

Of course, he’s speaking metaphorically; he is as enthusiastic about painting as he’s ever been and continues to fine-tune his approach to his art. “My style is evolving in that I’m becoming more articulate, more involved in the nuances of the landscape,” he says. “The overlapping shapes and aerial and linear perspectives are fascinating to me.”

Read the full article in the May/June 2023 issue.

Western Cumulonimbus

Oil
16″ by 20″

“From the Latin cumulus, ‘heaped,’ and nimbus, ‘rainstorm,’ The Cumulonimbus is my favorite stage of cloud formation. As aviators, we are advised to have the ultimate respect for these cloud formations. The up and downdrafts from these giants can be dangerous. Hail and high winds can be disastrous to an aircraft, but the sheer majesty and power of the thundercloud is truly one nature’s awe-inspiring beauties.”

Three Ravens

Oil
45″ by 60″

“I hired a Navajo (Diné) travel guide to take me out to his private homestead near Canyon de Chelly, Arizona. I took numerous photographs of the various rock formations and terrain, then extrapolated drawings with the horizon line well outside the picture plane to arrive at this aerial view of the ravens flying over the spires. The title, Three Ravens, begs the question as to where the third raven is. The answer is for the viewer to discover.”