Archives for Oil

The Softer Side of the West

The Softer Side of the West

July 22, 2014 | by

Spring in the Midwest can be a fickle. One it’s day warm, the next day cold, the next day a blanket of snow settles on the daffodils. Snow is exactly what thwarted a painting trip Montana artist Loren Entz had planned with Alise, his 6-year-old granddaughter, last April. On his way to Kansas, via Omaha, Nebraska, he had stopped to visit his daughter, Rebecca, and was planning to take Alise plein air painting, after hearing a comment she had made not long before. Standing before her mother, Alise had announced, “I don’t know if I want to be a mommy
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Digging Deep

Digging Deep

July 22, 2014 | by

“There are three components to my work. The empirical—what I observe when painting outside. The rational—what I know about the landscape. And the spiritual—how I feel about the subject, my emotional response to it.” So says Joseph McGurl, whose landscape paintings have earned him numerous awards, as well as recognition as one of the country’s most gifted contemporary artists. The fact that he became an artist and that his chosen subjects are the land and sea is no surprise. Born and raised outside Boston, Massachusetts, he spent much of his time on the water. Joseph McGurl Last Light of Winter
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I Have Enjoyed Every Minute

I Have Enjoyed Every Minute

May 22, 2014 | by

John Moyers says he is a lucky man. As a young boy, he was surrounded by art and art supplies, thanks to his father, award-winning artist William Moyers. As a teenager, he was mentored by distinguished painter, Robert Lougheed. And, as an adult he met and married his soul mate and fellow artist, Terri Kelly, and the two have happily traveled the world, painting as they go. He is modest about his accomplishments, grateful for the opportunity to spend his life doing what he loves, and excited about the future. John Moyers Return From Blue Lake Oil 30˝ by 48˝
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‘I’m Doing What I Love’

‘I’m Doing What I Love’

May 22, 2014 | by

In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Polonius counsels his son Laertes, “To thine own self be true,” offering a sage bit of wisdom that remains relevant four centuries later. In the case of Montana-based landscapist Greg Scheibel, defining and responding to his deep inner “self” became an evolutionary process that required more than two decades to come to fruition. Although Scheibel was born in Minnesota, the 53-year-old artist has been a Montana resident since he was 12, when his father, a contractor, relocated the family to Bozeman in order help build the Big Sky ski area. “As a hockey player on our local
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‘I Want to Surprise Myself’

‘I Want to Surprise Myself’

May 22, 2014 | by

Cross-pollination. It’s a term Colorado-based oil painter Michael Lynch uses to describe his big break into full-time art. That was more than 35 years ago, when he hooked up with other representational artists who reassured him that there was a place for such art amidst the transition to modern art. By then, Lynch already had explored trendy college art programs before settling on a degree in political science from Regis College in Denver, Colorado. He’d entered the workaday world, even considering a career as a lawyer, but his leanings were always toward representational art. Michael Lynch China Cove Oil 6˝
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For the Love of Oils

For the Love of Oils

May 22, 2014 | by

Thankfully, there are men and women who eagerly, although admittedly somewhat fearfully, stand in front of blank canvases and gather their courage—and summon all of their skills—to transform them into wondrous works of art. Before they reach that point, however, they have settled on a medium that they feel is best suited to them and their subjects. The artists we feature here have found, for the most part, what they need in oil paints. Nancy Howe Heliotrope Oil 18˝ by 24˝ “I paint because this is the ‘gift’ I was given, the means for me to grow, appreciate, and navigate
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The Studio of Dennis Doheny

The Studio of Dennis Doheny

May 22, 2014 | by

Driving down a typical residential street in Santa Barbara, California, you wouldn’t guess that a treasure lies hidden in that white stucco house—the one with the salmon-colored trim and Spanish-tiled roof. Pull into the driveway with the attached two-car garage. Can you see it? No? Park behind the family vehicles, and make your way around to the back of the garage; you’ll see it then. Dennis Doheny Gates of Heaven Oil 36˝ by 42˝
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Infinite Possibilities

Infinite Possibilities

March 22, 2014 | by

Jeffrey Legg’s still life paintings are stunning. The colors, the textures, the strategic lighting all combine to create paintings that have earned a myriad of honors. Last year alone, Legg walked away with several awards, including the Donors Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of American National Juried Exhibition, Best of Show Award at Plein Air Rockies, and the Artists’ Choice and Best Quick Draw Painting awards at Weekend in the West. Jeffrey Legg (Colorado) Luminous Progression Oil 12″ x 16″ “The light pouring across the forms and the subtle gradations has always interested me.” Jeffrey Legg (Colorado) Copper
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Pleasing the Eye, Gladdening the Heart

Pleasing the Eye, Gladdening the Heart

March 22, 2014 | by

That inspirational verse, taken from his church’s sacred writings, is a rallying cry for Joshua Clare. Seldom constrained by subject matter, the Utah oil painter might choose to paint a barnyard scene, or perhaps capture the evening glow of a desert setting. In his mind, however, he is aiming beyond the elements of art to deliver a specific feeling to the viewer. Joshua Clare (Utah) San Juan Range Oil 36″ x 48″ “Ridgeway, Colorado, and the surrounding area is one of my favorite places in the world. It’s incredibly beautiful. This view of the San Juan Range was painted from
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Fine Art and Freedom

Fine Art and Freedom

March 22, 2014 | by

It’s been an interesting ride for Michael Dudash, an award-winning illustrator who, early in is career, occasionally spent nights locked in a cadaver room at the University of Minnesota, as he sketched illustrations for a medical magazine. Those days are long behind him, and today Dudash is a fine artist, who paints everything from portraits and landscapes to still lifes and Western scenes. C. Michael Dudash (Idaho) Sheriff, A Deputy, A Day’s Catch Oil 28″ x 42″ “As with a lot of my work, this painting tells a story by only telling part of the story. The viewer has to
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