Archives for Oil

Amazing Life, Amazing Art

October 8, 2026 | by Joe Tougas

From Medical Student to Wildlife Artist: Valerie Gobeil’s Unlikely Journey There are a few key moments that led to wildlife oil painter Valerie Gobeil’s promising career. One of them left her with neck and back injuries and a concussion after a distracted driver T-boned her car. The collision occurred 13 years ago, during Gobeil’s first year of medical school in Arizona, forcing her to take some time off. “I would read one paragraph, and I’d have to re-read it five, six, seven times to try to retain some of it,” she says. “When I was studying basically the equivalent
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Desert Star

October 8, 2026 | by Mary Nelson

Southern California Artist Whitney Gardner Brings the Mojave Desert to Life The Mojave Desert is a panoply of stark and beautiful contrasts—light and shadow, color and contrast, grace and grit. It also happens to be home to Southern California landscape artist Whitney Gardner. The vista from her 1950s-era jack rabbit cabin and vintage Airstream Trailer studio are enough to titillate any artist’s muse. It’s a solitary place, but that suits her personality and her artistic drive. The nearest town, 29 Palms, is on the northeastern gateway to the Joshua Tree National Park. Gardner’s cabin is in Wonder Valley, a
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The Studio of Andrew Peters

October 8, 2026 | by Mark Wilcox

How Andrew Peters Is Restoring Native Prairie and Wetlands as His Largest Artistic Creation For most artists, 1,000 square inches represents a large canvas. But Andrew Peters is painting his biggest masterpiece on a living canvas of nearly 1 million square feet: approximately 20 acres of land that he’s actively shaping as home to his dream studio. “This is the painting that I will work on for the rest of my life,” he says of the “canvas” he frequently traverses and admires on foot. “The masterpiece of my lifetime will be the ecology and the beauty of a native
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Sweet Success

August 6, 2026 | by Lazelle Jones

Award-Winning Western Artist Albin Veselka Draws on His Cowboy Heritage and Ranching Background Albin Veselka has paid his dues, just as most successful artists have, and is now reaping the rewards of overcoming the struggles of developing a career in the world of fine art. He participates in several invitational events, including the Cowboy Artists of America’s Show, the Coors Show, the Buffalo Bill Auction, the Out West Art Show, the Coeur d’Alene Auction, and a few shows each year at Settlers West Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. Veselka lives with his wife Jenee and their four children in the
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Excellence and Beauty

August 6, 2026 | by Joe Tougas

How Atelier Training Helped Jonathan Noon Transform a Passion for Drawing into a Fine Art Career Named after the French word for studio, atelier schools are where students immerse themselves in an intensive series of training in realism. For months on end, they draw and paint repeatedly, often the same subject—usually still lifes or human models—with a focus on detail. Along with most of the world, Jonathan Noon had some time on his hands during the pandemic, so he decided to seriously explore his interest in drawing and painting. Up to that point in his life, he had set
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The Puzzle is Complete

August 6, 2026 | by Mark Wilcox

How Hannah Harper Turns Years of Outdoor Experiences into Stunning Wildlife and Landscape Paintings Hannah Harper once watched a black bear bound out of the forest while she was parked at a trailhead in Glacier National Park. It playfully romped through a beautiful buffet and stuffed itself with a critical, early spring food source by eating grass and wildflowers and then ambling back into the forest. That experience formed the backbone of a painting Harper created years ago, and she’s now in the planning phases of another painting that will use the same reference photos in a unique way. “I
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The Nostalgic West

June 9, 2026 | by Mark Wilcox

From a First-Grade Drawing to National Recognition: The Story of Artist Dennis Ziemienski A trip to the principal’s office in first grade might have been the catalyst that pushed Dennis Ziemienski toward art. When he drew a full wine glass next to a bottle, his principal called his parents in for two reasons: One, he worried Ziemienski might be “imbibing” at home, given the adult subject matter. Two, the principal, who was also an artist, noticed that the child had correctly drawn the top of his wine glass as an ellipse. The kid could already render complex visual perspectives
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Ink, Oil, and Graphite

June 9, 2026 | by Vicki Stavig

How Maia Chavez Larkin Transitioned from Illustrator to Acclaimed Western Fine Artist You would think that having parents who are successful artists would naturally set their offspring on a path leading directly to fine art. Not so if that offspring is Maia Chavez Larkin. “I was certain that I would never be an artist, because it seemed like a tough way to make a living,” she says. “I thought it also meant being nervous about finances. It seemed like a hard life and a tough way to make a living. I thought I’d have a real job.” After years of
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Fresh Mind, Fresh Eyes

June 9, 2026 | by Clover Cameron

How Disney Visual Designer Simon Lok Helped Shape the Iconic Look of Mulan and Transitioned Into a Career of Western Art You might not recognize Simon Lok’s name, but you have almost certainly seen his work. If you watched any of Disney’s animated feature films in the late 1990s and early 2000s—“Mulan,” “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” “Brother Bear,” or “The Princess and the Frog” to name just a few—you’re familiar with his use of color, light, and landscape to create a vivid and memorable palette and setting for those films’ characters and their adventures. Lok, who is listed in
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The Color Connection

June 9, 2026 | by Vicki Stavig

From Emerging Artist to Gallery Favorite: Jessica Garrett-Lawrence’s Rise in the Western Art World Once the gate opened, Jessica Garrett-Lawrence ran through it like a wild bronco. Less than a year after she started to paint seriously, galleries began to take on—and sell—her work. One of those galleries was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where almost a dozen of her paintings sold in just six weeks. It’s not surprising that her vibrant landscapes caught the attention of gallery owners and collectors so quickly. Garrett-Lawrence portrays nature in all its glory, from aspen trees, mountains, and streams to sunrises, sunsets,
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Archives for Oil

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