Posts by Vicki Stavig

The Magic Continues

The Magic Continues

May 4, 2023 | by

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
Read More

‘I’m Inspired by God’s Creation’

‘I’m Inspired by God’s Creation’

March 4, 2023 | by

“I have to paint my vision.” So says Frank Ordaz, whose visions range from portraits and landscapes to cowboys and old trucks. He is so eclectic in his subject matter and style that a gallery owner once told him, “I don’t know where to put you; I don’t know how to sell you.” That gallery owner needn’t have worried because his paintings sell themselves, appealing to a similarly eclectic group of collectors. Simply put, Ordaz’s paintings cannot be labeled—and neither can he. Although he was trained as a fine artist when he was a young boy, Ordaz spent his early
Read More

Beauty is the Goal

Beauty is the Goal

March 4, 2023 | by

“The most consistent source of my inspiration will always be nature.” So says Aaron Blaise, who spent most of his career as an animator for Walt Disney Feature Animation before turning to fine art and capturing everything from small birds and big cats to elephants and moose in a beautifully realistic style. “The natural world, for me, is an escape,” he says. “It’s a source of wonder and, ultimately, my greatest inspiration for all of the work I do, whether it be painting, drawing, or animation. The creatures we share our planet with are so diverse and beautiful and such
Read More

Beautifully Authentic

Beautifully Authentic

March 4, 2023 | by

Monte Moore describes his art career as a large tree. After so many years as an illustrator—and so much more—he says, “I started growing another branch.” That new branch is his career as a fine artist who captures the people and wildlife of the West in a myriad of mediums, including acrylics, pencils, oils, bronze, and mixed media. The Colorado artist, who was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1971, considers himself blessed to have had parents who encouraged him and instilled in him a love of art, particularly Western art. A year after Moore was born, his father bought a
Read More

The Cycle of Life

The Cycle of Life

January 5, 2023 | by

“It’s been a busy 12 years.” That’s how Elizabeth Robbins describes her life since the last time we visited with her. Since then, she’s continued to create masterful paintings that find homes with enthusiastic and appreciative collectors. She’s also added to her repertoire, has started a successful online instructional program and a production company, and has moved to Ogden, Utah. She made that move in late 2013, six years after her husband Jim Pruitt passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack  while mowing the lawn at their home in Kansas. “We had a beautiful marriage,” she says. “He was the
Read More

The Studio of Logan Maxwell Hagege

The Studio of Logan Maxwell Hagege

January 5, 2023 | by

Working in his studio—a 2,000-square-foot space located about 100 feet from his home in Ojai, California, Logan Maxwell Hagege creates award-winning paintings that vibrate with color. Through his use of limited detail, he invites viewers to interact with his images, to become actively engaged as they fill in spaces that he has purposely left unfilled. “I’m trying to see how little I can put in and still get the point across,” Hagege says. “My paintings are interactive; viewers use their imaginations. They play a role in how the painting is seen.” Hagege was born and raised in California and studied
Read More

‘Light is Everything’

‘Light is Everything’

November 3, 2022 | by

When Sue Krzyston and her husband Mike moved into their new house in Phoenix, Arizona, the bare walls were begging to be filled. Having taken a six-month painting class, and at Mike’s suggestion that she replace the starkness of those walls with her own paintings, Krzyston got to work. Soon their new home was filled with colorful creations. And so it began. Those paintings led to a passionate pursuit of painting, of creating vibrant still lifes that, combined with her love of Native American artifacts, have become a driving force in Krzyston’s life. Her paintings quickly attracted the attention and
Read More

Preserving and Promoting Cowboy Arts: Traditional Cowboy Arts Association

Preserving and Promoting Cowboy Arts: Traditional Cowboy Arts Association

September 1, 2022 | by

When a group of Western craftsmen got together in 1998 to form the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA), they had a shared goal: to preserve and promote cowboy arts. Those arts fall into four disciplines: saddlemaking, bit and spur making, silversmithing, and rawhide braiding. The TCAA has more than met its goal, as its members have taken impressive steps to pass on the knowledge and skill of cowboy arts to the next generation through education programs and workshops. In 1999, it partnered with the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to host its first annual exhibition
Read More

The Studio of John Fawcett

The Studio of John Fawcett

September 1, 2022 | by

In late May, after a four-day drive from their home near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, John and Elizabeth Fawcett happily drove through the gates to their home in Clark, Colorado. It’s an annual event that includes pulling a large horse trailer occupied by the couple’s two horses and all of Fawcett’s paint supplies. “We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies,” he says with a laugh. Located on a 52-acre ranch the Fawcetts named Double LL—which Fawcett says stands for Lucky (me) and Lizzie (Elizabeth)—the property is 25 miles north of Steamboat Springs. Willow Creek runs through the ranch and attracts deer and elk,
Read More

Painting From His Soul

Painting From His Soul

June 30, 2022 | by

William Suys doesn’t limit himself in what he paints or how he paints it, whether it’s an animal, a person, a landscape, or a still life. The only constant is that he strives to imbue each of his works with personality, presence, and power. He accomplishes each of those goals with great skill. “I want the process of my painting to be personal, completely from my soul,” Suys says. “I want to paint what I feel, and I’ve been doing more of that. If I can paint something that is meaningful for me and do a better job of laying
Read More