Archives for Oil

Home is Where the Horses Are

Home is Where the Horses Are

January 22, 2014 | by

When Jim Rey’s mom died a few years ago, he found some of his childhood drawings that she had saved in a box. The pencil drawings, which Rey had done when he was just 4 or 5 years old, were of horses and cattle. Which is what Rey, now 74, is still drawing and painting. “It’s not something I’m going to outgrow,” he says. “I just really like the subject matter. I like painting the Western experience, so that’s what I’ll keep doing.” Jim Rey (Nebraska) Point Rider Oil 36” by 24” “I vacillated between choosing to do this painting
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Magical, Mystical Water

Magical, Mystical Water

January 22, 2014 | by

Water—whether a stream, lake, river, or ocean—is magical and mysterious, moody and mesmerizing. It can be peaceful or restless, soothing or savage, as it laps softly at a sandy shore or crashes against a rocky cliff. Words cannot begin to describe the beauty, the power, the majesty, of water. That is best accomplished by artists, who are inspired by its many facets and who skillfully capture them with paints. John Budicin (California) Vertigo Oil 8˝ by 18˝ David Drummond (New Mexico) Morning South of Dangling Rope Watercolor 30˝ by 50˝ Carolyn Hesse-Low (California) Shipyard and Kayaks Oil 11″ by 14″
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The Studio of Zhuo Liang

The Studio of Zhuo Liang

January 22, 2014 | by

“I looked for the ideal house for two years,” Liang says of the Agoura Hills, California home that yielded the appropriate space needed for his new studio. The area, approximately 40 feet by 40 feet, features a ceiling that rises a full two stories. “You immediately sense the height and it gives you a very good scale, especially if you paint large,” he says, noting that smaller spaces can often make a painting feel out of proportion and larger than it really is. Z. S. Liang (California) Joe Kipp Trader, Missouri River, 1879 Oil 44˝ by 68˝
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Happily Held Hostage

Happily Held Hostage

November 25, 2013 | by

Mention landscapes, and the name Clyde Aspevig likely will come to mind. The award-winning artist creates visual feasts, as he recreates the natural beauty of the world that inspires him. From meadows and mountains to lilies and lakes, he transports viewers, taking them by the eye and leading them to the places that inspire him. Aspevig grew up on a farm in the northern part of Montana, where his love of the land took root. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in education from Eastern Montana College and taught for a year before leaving the classroom behind to focus
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Art, Pure and Simple

Art, Pure and Simple

November 25, 2013 | by

Robert Pummill is an artist—no fanfare, no frills, no desire to grandstand his art or his artistic ideas. Chatting with the Texas artist, you might begin to think he’s taciturn, but you quickly realize that’s not the case. He isn’t interesting in tooting his own horn; he just wants to paint. “I just try to make a good picture that someone enjoys looking at,” Pummill says. “I’m not trying to send a message, and I’m not trying to do something so different that it creates a niche for me.” He goes on to explain that he paints because he wouldn’t
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A Glimpse of My Soul

A Glimpse of My Soul

November 25, 2013 | by

The setting sun paints dramatic colors on the nearby 7,000-foot peaks as Karin and Wayne Hollebeke wrap up their ranching chores. Pumping water by hand from their well, they are both reminded of the pioneer lifestyle that was once prominent in this part of rural Utah. The Hollebeke ranch is certainly quieter since Wayne retired from law enforcement nine years ago. The cattle are gone and only three horses remain. But gardening and canning are still high on the list as summer winds down, and after that there might be a little daylight left for fly-fishing. With fewer ranching responsibilities,
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Answering the Call

Answering the Call

November 25, 2013 | by

“As I step in front of my easel, I make every effort to elevate my painting to art.” So says landscape painter John Burton, who has traveled the world and captured its natural beauty with remarkable skill. He is quick to point out, however, that his artistic talent is the result of dedication and determination. “I think part of any success I have enjoyed in painting has been from working extremely hard at the craft of painting; for example drawing, observation skills, color theory, composition, and design,” he says. John Burton (California) Dallas Divide Oil 16″ x 20″ “Recently I
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Their Walls are Alive

Their Walls are Alive

November 25, 2013 | by

To describe Bob and Curtice McCloy as avid art collectors would be a gross understatement. The couple shares a voracious appetite for art, one they have satisfied during more than three decades by amassing a collection of almost 300 paintings. That collection—or rather a portion of it—is featured in “Patrons Without Peer,” a 240-page, hardcover book that was published in 2009 by Collectors Covey with text written by Tom Davis. Included within its pages are reproductions of more than 260 paintings and sculptures by a myriad of artists. Bob Kuhn Fox in the Ferns Acrylic 13.25″ x 18″ William Acheff
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Let There Be Light – And Shadow

Let There Be Light – And Shadow

September 25, 2013 | by

The last time we featured Kyle Polzin in the pages of this magazine, it was in an article we titled “Young Guns.” That was five years ago, when he was 34. He’s still going strong, and his paintings continue to sell at an almost unheard of pace. Polzin has never had a show that hasn’t sold out. Kyle Polzin The Offering Oil 23˝ by 35˝ “I love the atmosphere of this painting. There is a slight haze to the air that gives the feeling that the pipe had just been smoked, and the incense of tobacco is in the air.”
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Poetic Glimpses

Poetic Glimpses

September 25, 2013 | by

When K. Gavin Brooks, who recently relocated to California, sits down to paint, she reorganizes scenery to omit elements that don’t serve the emotion she wants to capture and convey. True art, she’ll tell you, is in the editing. And in her estimation, less is more. K. Gavin Brooks (Maryland) Eucalyptus Dusk Oil 12˝ by 16˝ “Eucalyptus was painted in Laguna at Moss Point where some old growth trees still stand. I eliminated some infrastructure and tried to keep the painting in keeping with old Laguna and focused on just the relationship between the light and the trees at dusk.”
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