Archives for 2021 November-December Issue

When Craft Becomes Art

When Craft Becomes Art

November 1, 2021 | by

Author, playwright, and critic Anthony Burgess once said, “Art begins with craft, and there is no art until the craft has been mastered.” Since men like Russell and Remington started coming West more than 150 years ago, paint and clay have depicted the life of the North American cowboy and his surroundings. However, in the shadows was another breed of artist: the saddle maker, rawhide braider, silversmith, and bit and spur maker. This work was rarely recognized as a work of art by anyone other than the working cowboy. The pieces in the annual Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA) Exhibition
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A Promise Kept

A Promise Kept

November 1, 2021 | by

During his 16 years of formal art training, Valeriy Kagounkin has studied everything from painting and sculpture to Italian fresco, mosaic, and stained glass. While he now focuses on capturing the American West on canvas, he also feels a duty to serve the community with his other skills. One of Kagounkin’s most recent projects—painting a mural on an eight-story building—has seen him perched atop a lift in 90-degree temperatures, breathing in smoke-filled air from the wildfires raging near his home in Sacramento, California. “It is what it is,” he says. “This is real artwork.” Except for a few difficult times,
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Patience and Precision

Patience and Precision

November 1, 2021 | by

Randal M. Dutra has enjoyed a varied career in art for more than 46 years. He began his studies in 1975, working from life at a Canadian game farm, and in 1977 he enrolled at the Art Students League in New York. During his early art career, he also learned from several respected mentors, including Clarence Tillenius, Robert Lougheed, and George Carlson. In 1981, Dutra became involved in cinematic visual effects. During his 25 years in the movie business, while concurrently producing fine art, he worked with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Disney on several films, two of which earned
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Discipline, Control, and Wisdom

Discipline, Control, and Wisdom

November 1, 2021 | by

If you log onto Rick McClure’s Facebook page, you might think for a minute that you’ve wandered into an online Buddhism class where the teacher has become the student, asking his former pupils to critique his teaching skills. “Generous and sincere,” offered one. Another responded, “Doesn’t hesitate to share all the tips and techniques he’s spent a long career learning.” And a third asked, “Is this a trick question?” Not necessarily. Art professionals will tell you that great art teachers share many characteristics, including passion, dedication, and perseverance. Being a great artist and a great teacher are not mutually exclusive;
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Beautiful Blendings

Beautiful Blendings

November 1, 2021 | by

Acclaimed sculptor James G. Moore—Jim to friends, family, and a growing population of enthusiastic collectors—is leading a very good life, enjoying a mix of work and play that any creative person would envy. “My great joy is to be on the water,” he says. “I kayak; about twice a week I’m on some kind of boat.” On the days Moore isn’t paddling one of two nearby rivers (both the Wenatchee and the Columbia flow an easy drive from his home), he’s apt to be in one of his two studios. “My metal shop is where I make all the racket,”
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‘Color is Everything To Me’

‘Color is Everything To Me’

November 1, 2021 | by

In early August, Kathy Anderson was hard at work in the studio at her home in Redding, Connecticut. She had just returned from a 12-day reunion in Montana with members of the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters and was preparing to head to Vermont the following week to paint with the Putney Painters. Anderson was also working on a painting for a show in October and that afternoon was scheduled to give a video tour of her studio for the Scottsdale Artists School. Later that week she would be serving as an awards judge for a local art show. And,
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Chasing Perfection

Chasing Perfection

November 1, 2021 | by

There are things you have to give up if you’re going to run a ranch, raise a family, and pursue a career as a wildlife artist all at the same time. Chad Poppleton, who took over the operations of his dad’s ranch in northern Utah’s Cache Valley a year ago, is doing all three—and doing them well. Most days, he’s up early to do chores and get work done around the ranch. Once those jobs are done, he heads to his studio and paints for several hours. Then he loops back to the ranch for more chores and to wrap
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The Studio of Edward Aldrich

The Studio of Edward Aldrich

November 1, 2021 | by

After getting married in 2002 wildlife artist Edward (Ned) Aldrich and his wife Kerry set up housekeeping in Golden, Colorado. Within three years, however, they realized they wanted more land, so they moved to a home on a mountainside just west of Denver. The downside of their new home was that its configuration did not allow room for a studio. Aldrich spent the first two years there working in a basement studio, then decided to add additional space to the top of the house. “Working there really spurred me on to get the addition finished,” he says of his basement
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