Posts by Jenny Lang

Going Back in Time

Going Back in Time

April 10, 2024 | by

Lights. Cameras. Fog machines. Actors dressed in kerchiefs and gun belts. “I’m familiar with the whole setup because this is what I do on a small scale,” says renowned Western artist Morgan Weistling. But he’s not talking about a reenactment or a photo shoot for reference photos—he’s talking about the film set of new TV series, ‘Elkhorn,’ where he is the official set photographer. ‘Elkhorn’ is a Morningstar Entertainment mini-series that premiered April 11. “It’s about the early life of Teddy Roosevelt, when he loses his wife and mother and decides to go out West to become a cowboy, to
Read More

Where Function Meets Fine Art

Where Function Meets Fine Art

March 20, 2024 | by

Functional art, artwork that is both attractive and practical, is nothing new to the art world. Art glass vases, clay vessels, and even bronze door knockers or bookends apply. But these works don’t seem to be included in many shows. Last year, artist Eric Bowman made a splash at the Prix de West with his tetrapycht screen—and he’s doing it again at the Night of Artists at the Briscoe Museum this year.   Bowman, known for his stylized Western scenes, got the idea for the original screen from his love of craftsman furniture. “The idea just popped in my head one
Read More

A Family Affair in Great Falls

A Family Affair in Great Falls

February 19, 2024 | by

Fifteen shows, hundreds of artists, and dozens of events —that’s what makes Western Art Week in Great Falls, Montana so appealing. This year, there’s another key stat for the Winborg family: three generations of artists from the same family, who share the same studio space, all participating in Western Art Week. Larry C. Winborg, his son, Jeremy Winborg, and Jeremy’s daughter, Swede Winborg, will all be in attendance. “We’re a family of artists,” Larry Winborg says. The patriarch of this art family, Larry has been an artist for over 60 years, and has been participating in Western Art Week for
Read More

Dusting Off the Cobwebs

Dusting Off the Cobwebs

December 13, 2023 | by

Something I’ve heard over and over again since I started working at Art of the West is how supportive the art community is. Through my work as the creative and production director, I thought I understood what that meant as I saw how artists support each other at shows I’ve attended and how we work to support artists through the work we do with the publication. But, after attending an artist workshop last fall, I have an even greater understanding of what that support means and how powerful it is. I’ve always been a creative person and have found joy
Read More

Scottsdale Artists’ School: 40 Years of Artist Education

Scottsdale Artists’ School: 40 Years of Artist Education

July 25, 2023 | by

Every great artist has to start somewhere. Pursuing a career in art can be challenging, and many of the artists we interview for Art of the West credit a particular workshop or instructor as being the launch pad to where they are today. Where better to gain these experiences than an art school? As Scottsdale Artists’ School (SAS) in Scottsdale, Arizona, celebrates its 40th anniversary, we want to recognize the opportunities it provides for aspiring artists. The school was established in 1983 and provides art education opportunities for adults, teens, and children. All instructors are professional working artists, and many
Read More

Wandering the Colorado Plateau

Wandering the Colorado Plateau

January 5, 2023 | by

Lorenzo Chavez is an admired landscape painter living in Parker, Colorado. A native of New Mexico, he fell in love with Colorado when he studied at the Colorado Institute of Art in 1983, graduating with honors. He started working as a commercial artist out of school, then turned to fine art in his mid-20’s and has been doing that ever since. This past April, Gallery East at the University of Utah Eastern in Price, Utah hosted an exhibition titled “Wandering the Colorado Plateau,” featuring 45 works from artist Lorenzo Chavez. Each piece was inspired by or painted on location in
Read More

Taking Art to a New Altitude

Taking Art to a New Altitude

September 1, 2022 | by

Wagner Skis in Mountain Village, Colorado, has taken its custom skis to a new level. The company, established in 2006 at the base of Telluride Ski Resort, designs, manufactures, and sells custom skis and snowboards. “We design everything from the shape of your ski and snowboard to the flex pattern, side wall structure, everything,” says Heather Baltzley, Wagner’s creative director, who has been with the company since 2008. “We cut out and design every aspect so each wood core is built for each ski, each pair of edges are shaped for each pair of skis, et cetera…” Lauren Poppie is
Read More

Winds of Inspiration

Winds of Inspiration

November 1, 2020 | by

Renowned artist Thomas Blackshear II is no stranger to commercial work. Before diving into the Western art world, he was an illustrator with companies such as Hallmark, Lucas Films, and Anheuser-Busch on his resumé. In the fall of 2019, he got a phone call from the manager of The Killers, a popular alternative rock band that wanted to use his work for its newest album. It was a project unlike any Blackshear had ever experienced. The Killers is an American band that originated in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 2000s. Almost 20 years and six albums later, it has
Read More

Hitting Their Stride

Hitting Their Stride

March 2, 2020 | by

Maybe it’s using complementary colors. Perhaps it’s painting in black and white or sepia tones. Maybe it’s diving deeply into one subject matter to capture it perfectly. Artists go through phases of work, improving their techniques and finding their places in the art world. Whether it’s at the beginning, middle, or later in their careers, something just ‘clicks’ when artists find the subject matter, medium, or technique that allows their creativity to shine. Meet three artists who are hitting their stride, and who are being featured in Art of the West for the first time. They are worthy of your
Read More