Archives for 2014 January-February Issue

‘It is Still Magical’

‘It is Still Magical’

January 22, 2014 | by

Richard Schmid is a painter’s painter, an artist’s artist. The truth of that statement is evident not only in his magnificent paintings, which have garnered countless awards and are included in collections throughout the world, but in the popularity of the books he writes and the workshops he conducts. Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1934 and currently living in New Hampshire with his wife, Nancy Guzik, a talented artist in her own right. Richard Schmid (Vermont) Nasturtium Sketch Oil 9” by 12” “Nasturtiums, like pansies, beg to be painted, because they lend themselves so readily to simple, bold brushwork and
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A Lifelong Journey

A Lifelong Journey

January 22, 2014 | by

Lindsay Scott is a naturalist artist, or an artistic naturalist. Either way you slice it, she knows her subjects: wildlife and nature. As is often the case with wildlife artists, a love of nature, a penchant for accuracy, and a natural artistic ability form their careers. Scott’s ease with the natural world is evident in many ways, and her impressionistic/realistic art is a direct descendant of her passion for wildlife and accuracy. Her success as an artist, on the other hand, is a result of tenacity, ability, and confidence. Lindsay Scott (New Zealand) Bravado Oil 60” by 34” “This how
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Home is Where the Horses Are

Home is Where the Horses Are

January 22, 2014 | by

When Jim Rey’s mom died a few years ago, he found some of his childhood drawings that she had saved in a box. The pencil drawings, which Rey had done when he was just 4 or 5 years old, were of horses and cattle. Which is what Rey, now 74, is still drawing and painting. “It’s not something I’m going to outgrow,” he says. “I just really like the subject matter. I like painting the Western experience, so that’s what I’ll keep doing.” Jim Rey (Nebraska) Point Rider Oil 36” by 24” “I vacillated between choosing to do this painting
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Taking Risks

Taking Risks

January 22, 2014 | by

If things had gone differently, Tammy Garcia might be operating her own beauty salon instead of creating award-winning art that sells as quickly as she can create it. Although she has been making and selling pottery since she was a teenager, at one point she enrolled in a beauty school, but quit because she couldn’t afford to continue. The beauty world’s loss was the art world’s gain. One of the most collectible Pueblo potters today, Garcia creates unique ceramic pieces that include traditional effigies, water jars, and storage jars. Tammy Garcia (New Mexico) Elk Hunter Natural Clay “These pots are
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Magical, Mystical Water

Magical, Mystical Water

January 22, 2014 | by

Water—whether a stream, lake, river, or ocean—is magical and mysterious, moody and mesmerizing. It can be peaceful or restless, soothing or savage, as it laps softly at a sandy shore or crashes against a rocky cliff. Words cannot begin to describe the beauty, the power, the majesty, of water. That is best accomplished by artists, who are inspired by its many facets and who skillfully capture them with paints. John Budicin (California) Vertigo Oil 8˝ by 18˝ David Drummond (New Mexico) Morning South of Dangling Rope Watercolor 30˝ by 50˝ Carolyn Hesse-Low (California) Shipyard and Kayaks Oil 11″ by 14″
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The Studio of Zhuo Liang

The Studio of Zhuo Liang

January 22, 2014 | by

“I looked for the ideal house for two years,” Liang says of the Agoura Hills, California home that yielded the appropriate space needed for his new studio. The area, approximately 40 feet by 40 feet, features a ceiling that rises a full two stories. “You immediately sense the height and it gives you a very good scale, especially if you paint large,” he says, noting that smaller spaces can often make a painting feel out of proportion and larger than it really is. Z. S. Liang (California) Joe Kipp Trader, Missouri River, 1879 Oil 44˝ by 68˝
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