Paul Van Ginkel will tell you he’s an all-in kind of guy. Every time he does something, he challenges himself to do it better than ever before. That kind of tenacity and ambition paid off in early March when Van Ginkel, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, learned that he’d been nominated for the prestigious Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award. The winner will be honored at a ceremony in September.
Although he’s not a stranger to awards—there have been many—he was particularly pleased that his patrons were so insistent on nominating him to be recognized for his outstanding achievements in the arts. “It certainly was a surprise and an unexpected honor,” he says. “If I win the award it would rank as my most valuable and prestigious because of not only the competition but the many [artistic] areas they consider.”
Read the full article in the July/August 2023 issue.
Cowboy Paradise
Oil
36” by 80”
“To celebrate the millennium, the Calgary Stampede decided to bring its horses from its ranch outside of Calgary to the annual July Stampede the old fashioned way – overland with cowboys as opposed to truck and trailers. This epic event took about five days. Because it was so popular, they did it again five years later in 2005. This painting depicts that event.”
Posse Paradise
Oil
42” by 72”
“In 2001, I attended the Artists Ride, a photo shoot in South Dakota. Nineteen years later, I painted this piece from that shoot.”
