Archives for Oil

‘It Has to Hit Home’

‘It Has to Hit Home’

September 20, 2015 | by

Colorado is home to Jay Moore—always has been and likely always will be. And why not? It has everything this talented landscape painter could possibly want, when it comes to subject matter—from creeks and rivers to aspen groves and mountains. Throw in the magnificent wildlife that occasionally makes its way into one of Moore’s paintings, and it’s clear that he is exactly where he should be. Colorado’s lifestyle also appeals to Moore, who grew up in Evergreen, a sleepy little town with a creek running through it and a lake nearby for fishing in the summer and skating in the
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The Joy of Painting

The Joy of Painting

September 20, 2015 | by

Suchitra Bhosle was in Seattle, Washington, looking for a job that would put her new MBA degree to good use, when she received news that her father had passed away. She put her job search on hold to travel back to her native India—and returned to the United States with an entirely different focus in mind. Back in Seattle, Bhosle stopped sending out resumes and started looking for workshops that would help develop the aptitude she had always had for art. Suchitra Bhosle Arches of II duomo De Taormina Oil 16″ x 12″ “The movement of the interior light of
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Chasing Light

Chasing Light

September 20, 2015 | by

In early July, recently home from a trip to Ireland, Michael Godfrey was excited about the landscape he saw there, some of which he sketched on his new Galaxy tablet and will later transform into completed pieces in his home studio. That trip, he says, had long been on his bucket list and became a reality, when Godfrey’s wife Kim arranged the adventure. Godfrey has been fascinated by the great outdoors since he was a young boy. “I was born in Germany and was an Army brat,” he says, adding that, when his father was transferred back to the States,
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Creating New Challenges

Creating New Challenges

July 20, 2015 | by

Carrie Ballantyne once told a young cowgirl that she didn’t think she was much of a storyteller. Her paintings—portraits of western men, women and children, often focused mostly on their faces—were too limited, she said, to tell stories. “This young cowgirl looked so surprised,” Ballantyne remembers. “She stopped me and said that she saw a story in every face I portrayed.” That revelation changed everything for Ballantyne. Carrie Ballantyne (Wyoming) Wyoming Flower Child Oil 18″x14″ “I have been lucky, through the years, to be able to work with my family and close friends. It makes my job more pleasurable, when
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Lorenzo’s Land

Lorenzo’s Land

July 20, 2015 | by

Lorenzo Chavez loved faces. He loved looking at them; he loved painting them. When he started to paint outside with a friend, however, he tossed his dream of being a portrait painter aside and began a love affair with the land. Whether he is painting the desert, the ocean, or the foothills near his home in Parker, Colorado, Chavez is totally committed to capturing and sharing his feeling of excitement at what he sees before him. Lorenzo Chavez A Winter Landscape Pastel 16″x20″ “After a new snowfall, the sun will enlighten the colors with strong varieties of warm and cool
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Simplicity And Beauty

Simplicity And Beauty

July 20, 2015 | by

“I don’t know that I could be in a better place.” Although Gregory Beecham is referring to his home in Dubois, Wyoming, a rural area brimming with wildlife, those words also aptly describe the success he has realized with his paintings. The enthusiasm of his collectors, combined with several prestigious awards, gives testimony to the skill with which he depicts the animals that inspire him. Greg Beecham (Wyoming) Flying Fortress—Trumpeter Swans Oil 24″x48″ “I knew, going in to this piece, that I was taking a risk in having my point of interest facing away from the viewer. But my experience
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My Richest Blessing Is My Imagination

My Richest Blessing Is My Imagination

July 20, 2015 | by

Whether he is depicting a Native American hunting party, a stagecoach arriving in a frontier town, or a cowpuncher riding night herd in the moonlight, the imagery of Montana-based artist Gary Lynn Roberts clearly reflects his belief that he lives and works in God’s country. For him, it’s a reality in more ways than one. Living on a remote 100-acre spread in the majestic Bitterroot Valley some 50 miles south of Missoula, Roberts doesn’t have to venture far to find the towering snow-capped mountains, sparkling rivers, and native wildlife that so richly complement his compelling compositions. Gary Lynn Roberts Wapiti
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A Creative Calling

A Creative Calling

July 20, 2015 | by

Albin Veselka wants to talk about art. First, though, he wants to say a few words about the meaning of life and the purpose of art. “I’m always trying to uplift people; I think it’s important to better the world,” says Veselka, whose Christian faith, along with his missionary zeal for art, guide his creative journey. “My faith helps me to do that—to uplift people and to show them something through my art.” This spirit of expansive generosity suffuses Veselka’s work, as well as his artistic philosophy. Albin Veselka Sunset Tide Oil 24″x15″ “I love the way white reflects all
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The Race is Still Going

The Race is Still Going

May 20, 2015 | by

There is nothing Morgan Weistling enjoys more—or works as hard at—as telling a story. It is exciting and challenging, as he spends countless hours—and makes thousands of decisions—to create each painting in a manner that captures the attention of viewers, draws them in, and—he hopes—puts a smile on their faces. Snake Oil Salesman is a prime example of how Weistling works. “I look at that painting, and I see 100,000 decisions I had to make,” he says of the piece, which depicts a gathering of men, women, and children around a man enthusiastically extolling the benefits of the snake oil
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There Are Places that Speak to Me

There Are Places that Speak to Me

May 20, 2015 | by

“There was validation and hope.” That’s how Jill Carver describes the impact of her first solo exhibition 14 years ago at the New Zealand Embassy in London. The paintings she showed at that event were ones she had done in New Zealand, while on a sabbatical from her job as a curatorial researcher at the National Portrait Gallery in London. She sold 10 of the 20 paintings she exhibited and was more than pleased. It would be several years, however, before she would take the plunge into fine art as a professional. Now living in Austin, Texas, Carver was born
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