It was love at first sight. Curt Walters was 19 when he first laid eyes on the Grand Canyon. “It changed my life,” he says. “There was an intensity to it—the depth, the layers, amazing clouds, and the atmosphere. It was like seeing the whole world at one time. I felt real joy there, and I was determined to paint it.”
Today, 57 years later, Walters is still painting it. The Grand Canyon captured his soul and never let go. Several years ago, this magazine referred to him as a master impressionist landscape painter and described him as “the greatest living Grand Canyon artist.” He paints what he loves, and collectors love what he paints.
Walters has earned more awards than we have space to mention here, but we’ll give you a sampling. They include four Buyers’ Choice Awards at the prestigious Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition and Sale in 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2025. In 2012, he earned two awards at the Quest for the West Art Show—one for best painting, the other for Buyers’ Choice. In 2014, the Sigler Western Museum presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Read the full article in the March/April 2026 issue.
Inexorable Shiprock
oil
30″ by 48″
My Youthful Notion Summoned – Rainbow Bridge
oil
40″ by 40″
