Archives for Oil

‘The Sagebrush Rembrandt’

‘The Sagebrush Rembrandt’

November 18, 2017 | by

He hailed from West Virginia, received most of his training in Europe, and lived most of his life in New York City. But William R. Leigh is best known for his portrayals of the West – a region he didn’t explore until he was about 40 years old. Eventually, however, his became so connected with the West that he was dubbed the “Sagebrush Rembrandt.” Leigh was born September 23, 1866, to a family whose once-valuable estate had just been destroyed by Civil War-related carnage and looting. He claimed to have descended from both Sir Walter Raleigh and Pocahontas. Though those
Read More

Western Voices: Past and Present

Western Voices: Past and Present

November 18, 2017 | by

Generations of painters and sculptors make up the fabric of art of the American West. The ongoing influence of artists, reaching back to the 1800s, is evident in the ambitions and efforts of younger artists today and, just as the best artists of old are known by their unique stylistic voices, a new generation strives to develop its own voice and, perhaps, the opportunity to influence those who follow them. Art of the West has been a platform for Western art for the past 30 years, helping us to hear the voices of new generations of artists, along with echoes
Read More

Women Artists: Meeting the Challenge

Women Artists: Meeting the Challenge

November 18, 2017 | by

It’s no secret that women artists often have a more difficult time than their male counterparts in not only succeeding in their careers, but in the prices paid for their work and in the collectability of that work by museums. It’s a topic that has been quietly discussed for many years, but now is gaining awareness, due in part to members of American Women Artists (AWA), who were shocked when they realized that women artists represent only 3 to 5 percent of artwork in museum collections. As a result, the group has launched 25 in 25, a campaign to have
Read More

Western Art: An Evolving Story

Western Art: An Evolving Story

November 18, 2017 | by

In the late 19th century, Western artists were, in essence, historians of the American West. James Catlin, Hudson River School artists Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran and others created realistic paintings that told the story of Indians, white pioneers, and unspoiled landscape. Other well-known artists, such as Frederic Remington and Charlie Russell, expanded the genre into action scenes depicting the disappearing Wild West. In more recent history, illustrators such as Howard Terpning, Frank McCarthy, Bob Kuhn, and Howard Rogers, continued to document the Western story, but from a more contemporary standpoint. Does that mean there is a Western art revolution,
Read More

Simple Dignity

Simple Dignity

November 18, 2017 | by

George Carlson is a man of many dimensions. He is a former illustrator and a reformed ski bum. He is a husband and father, a grandfather and gardener. He also a master artist, who for more than five decades, has been creating works that have earned him worldwide acclaim and countless awards. And yet, he is unpretentious, happily content to pursue the craft that has captivated him since childhood and that continues to excite him. Born and raised in Illinois, today Carlson and his wife Pam live on 55 acres of land near a lake in Idaho, where four gardens—English,
Read More

The Studio of Bruce Greene

The Studio of Bruce Greene

September 18, 2017 | by

Bruce Greene doesn’t just create Western art; he lives it. Since 1998, about four times a year, he spends a stretch of several days at one of two historic Texas ranches—JA Ranch, the oldest privately owned ranch in the Texas Panhandle, and the legendary Four Sixes Ranch. What does he do there? He engages in contemporary cowboy activities: riding, roping, and wrangling. Those forays into the cowboy psyche have a profound impact on Greene’s art. There’s nothing quite like an authentic contemporary cowboy experience to awaken and excite his creative muse. Greene describes his time at the ranches as magical.
Read More

The Fire Continues to Burn

The Fire Continues to Burn

September 18, 2017 | by

For Tom Browning, there was never a doubt that he would be an artist. And, oh, what an artist he has become! The many awards he has won and the respect he has earned from peers and collectors give testimony to his talent Browning’s depictions of the West—its people, wildlife, horses, cowboys, and Indians—come from the heart, from a deep love and respect for his subjects. His love of art goes back to his childhood. Born in Ontario, Oregon, in 1949, he was fascinated by the artwork he saw in magazines. By the time he was 9, he was drawing
Read More

Stepping Back in Time

Stepping Back in Time

September 18, 2017 | by

San Francisco-based painter Benjamin Wu is among a growing number of artists born and educated in China, who have immigrated to the United States since their country opened its doors to Western thought in the mid-1980s. Thoroughly grounded in the disciplines of traditional realism, their considerable talents are enriching the world of Western art by encouraging viewers to look at America and its history through fresh eyes. Reflecting back nearly four decades, Wu, who was raised in the small coastal village of Zhanjiang on the southern tip of China facing Hong Kong and the South China Sea, recalls the intense
Read More

The Art of Perseverance

The Art of Perseverance

September 18, 2017 | by

Sometimes, when the moon is full, Dan Young steals out of the house to paint. “I have a tendency to get obsessed with things,” he confesses, “and a few years ago I decided to learn how to do night paintings. I tried a few, and I failed miserably. Being someone who loves painting from life, I thought, ‘I’ll just go out at night and paint.’ I got the little headlamp—one for my head and one to shine down on my palette, so I could mix the paint. I’d go out and observe the scene, and I’d try to paint. I’d
Read More

Speaking the Language of Paint

Speaking the Language of Paint

September 18, 2017 | by

Every once in awhile, Nancy Boren comes across two watercolor paintings she did of the Grand Canyon, when she was about 12. “They were, without doubt, the worst paintings ever created,” she says. “I think I’ve made some progress since then.” That’s an understatement for this talented artist, who describes those early paintings as resembling “a big bunch of purple hamburger meat,” due in part to the fact that, at that age, she was unable to view the scene as a whole. She’s come a long way since then, earning prestigious awards for her paintings, while also finding other outlets
Read More