Archives for Oil

‘Let There Be Light—and Color’

‘Let There Be Light—and Color’

January 15, 2018 | by

“Color and light are everything in a painting.” So says Tom Murray, whose paintings are proof of his belief in that statement. They are alive with color, whether he is depicting sundown over a canyon, spring in the desert, or the majesty of the Grand Canyon. Viewers are immediately drawn to the vibrancy of his work—red clouds, purple mountains, the explosion of color that is both exciting and mesmerizing. It’s no surprise that Murray’s paintings have captured the attention—and enthusiasm—of collectors throughout the country, who eagerly await each new work. Tom Murray Maricopa Point Vision Oil 64″x48″ “The majestic Grand
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‘I Love What I Am Doing’

‘I Love What I Am Doing’

January 15, 2018 | by

Although Tom Dorr ranks among the nation’s most prolific painters of Western art, the Phoenix-based artist, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, and spent his early years in Kansas City, Kansas, had little affinity for subjects west of the Mississippi. That changed, when his father’s employer, AT&T, transferred the family to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the early 1950s. “I was about 12, when we arrived in Colorado, and by then I had already discovered my love for painting and drawing,” Dorr says. “At that time, there were still a lot of old farms and ranches in the area, so I
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Perfect Pitch

Perfect Pitch

January 15, 2018 | by

The thing about Gene Speck’s art is that, although it’s been dubbed realism, it goes beyond photorealism; it becomes your reality. Once you see one of his paintings, you aren’t just looking at a picture; you’re in another time and space. Speck’s heart and aesthetic nature is inured in a simpler time, when fewer people roamed the earth and had the space to do so. As a result, his paintings reach out and touch the viewer with palpable beauty and reality that in our hurried and fragmented lives seem to be long lost. Speck’s ability to immerse himself in his
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Joyful Creativity

Joyful Creativity

January 15, 2018 | by

Laura Robb’s still life paintings are anything but still. Magnificently composed and masterfully executed, they come alive with vibrant colors, an exciting blend of shapes, strategically placed light, and intriguing brush strokes. They are a visual feast that have earned Robb a myriad of awards and that continue to challenge and excite her as much today as they did 30 years ago. When it comes to choosing the objects she will include in her paintings, Robb focuses on visual values, selecting them based on their visual appeal rather than their narrative value. “The most important qualities I look for in
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Passion and Prestige

Passion and Prestige

January 15, 2018 | by

When you finish reading this article, take a moment to clear away all the background distractions you’re able to eliminate. Open the magazine, or your browser, to one of Z.S. Liang’s paintings. If you’re a collector fortunate enough to own one of his works, go stand in front of it. Take in, for a few minutes, the sun-washed faces and the buckskin-clad figures, the moody skies and the red earth, the fur-trimmed clothing and the high-spirited horses, the surrounding scenery. Do your best, knowing what you know about Native American history, to piece together the story you are witnessing. Every
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The Studio of Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953)

The Studio of Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953)

November 18, 2017 | by

Nestled between the shimmering peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the precipitous gash of the Rio Grande Gorge, the light-filled Taos Valley exudes a mystical feeling that has lured peoples to this enchanting location for hundreds of years. By 1335, the Tiwa-speaking Indians had permanently settled into homes in the Taos Pueblo and soon were followed by Spanish conquistadors, explorers such as Kit Carson, and, eventually, colonists from Mexico, who founded the adobe village of Taos in 1615. Few in number, residents of that sleepy little settlement never could have imagined that, three centuries later, their livelihood would
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‘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
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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
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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
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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,
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