Archives for 2012 May-June Issue

Switching Gears

Switching Gears

May 26, 2012 | by

George Carlson will celebrate his 72nd birthday in July, but he has the energy, physically as well as intellectually, of a man several decades younger. His enthusiasm as he talks about his life and his art is palpable. And no wonder—both have been fulfilling beyond what he could have imagined as a young boy growing up in Illinois. George Carlson (Idaho) Third-Year Hunt Oil 42″ By 42″ The bone white of the prostrate cottonwood supports a 3-year-old bald eagle in juvenile plumage. It was the tree that mesmerized me. George Carlson (Idaho) Descendent Of A War Horse Bronze 18″ High
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A Great Gift

A Great Gift

May 26, 2012 | by

Working out of a studio in a suburb just west of Chicago, Illinois, Zhiwei Tu lives some 8,000 miles away from his ancestral home in the remote, mountainous area of Guandong Province in South China. Despite the distance, evocative figures on light-filled canvases still allow the gifted artist to share childhood memories and the ancient tales and legends of his beloved homeland with a worldwide audience. Zhiwei Tu (Illinois) Girl With Red Scarf Oil 30″ By 24″ In 2007, I was asked to do a demo, and the model was dressed very well by Frankie Johnson, director of Mainstreet Art
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The Love Factor

The Love Factor

May 26, 2012 | by

“I do portraits of pottery.” So says Patricia Dobson in a simple statement describing her paintings, but those works are much more than mere portraits. The placement of objects in her still life paintings are works of art in themselves; her use of color and light take those arrangements to an extraordinary level, one that does not go unappreciated by art lovers. Patricia Dobson (Arizona) Oklahoma Territory Oil 18″ By 24″ With the Oklahoma Centennial in mind, this arrangement includes a Comanche drum, Cheyenne moccasins, and a check written in Guthrie, Oklahoma, in 1898, along with some wonderful old books
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Walk On In

Walk On In

May 26, 2012 | by

As artistic careers go, Daniel Mundy’s didn’t come to fruition until he was almost 45 years old, despite a life spent painting and dabbling in various art forms. It’s not that Mundy didn’t love the patterns and colors of the sky, or the nuances of form and color that shadows cast on the light; he just hadn’t quite figured out yet that he was an artist. Daniel Mundy (California) A Field In Bloom Oil 24″ By 30″ A few years ago, I happened on this field of poppies in late afternoon light. I jumped out of the truck, threw up
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Bigger, Bolder, Better

Bigger, Bolder, Better

May 26, 2012 | by

He’s part storyteller, part historian, and part movie director. That’s how Texas artist Xiang Zhang regards his role when he paints. And he takes his work so seriously that he combs the vast ranching landscapes of the Southwest in order to be as accurate as possible in his portrayals. Xiang Zhang (Texas) Simple Pleasure Oil 20″ By 16″ I met this cowboy at my friend’s ranch. He was about 70 years old and looked so handsome on horseback. He lit a cigarette whenever he got the chance, during the roundup. My friend told me that he was the model for
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