Archives for Oil

‘The Pioneer Spirit is Alive and Well’

‘The Pioneer Spirit is Alive and Well’

September 25, 2013 | by

Sheep wandering through Aspen groves in their high mountain pasture, knee high snow drifts blanketing hillsides and valleys, a cowhand working a herd of cattle, youngsters doing their daily chores. These scenes are familiar to artist Grant Redden, whose paintings celebrate the pioneer traditions and unspoiled beauty found in the southwestern corner of Wyoming, where the 53-year-old artist was born, raised, and still resides. Grant Redden (Wyoming) Gathering Potatoes Oil 16˝ by 20˝ “Pioneer girls and their mothers worked hard—as hard as men—to carve out a life and survive. My daughter had to go out and pick potatoes anyway, so
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‘It’s Always an Adventure’

‘It’s Always an Adventure’

September 25, 2013 | by

Charles Warren “C.W.” Mundy’s art career began during vacation Bible school. At 7, he already had a reputation as a bit of a troublemaker. He had been kicked out of kindergarten for making too much noise, getting in fights, and objecting loudly to the idea of a mid-day nap. But that summer, the teacher at vacation Bible school in Mundy’s hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana, where he still lives today, tried a new idea to keep him under control: She assigned him to make a poster for the daily program and hang it in the church. C.W. Mundy (Indiana) Portrait of
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The Language of Painting

The Language of Painting

July 25, 2013 | by

Sherrie McGraw is in the midst of preparing for what she says will be the highlight of her career. The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, will host a solo show for the talented artist September 14, 2014. The event will showcase 50 to 60 of McGraw’s paintings and drawings—including approximately 35 new pieces—and by April of this year, she already was hard at work creating new pieces for the show. Two days after our visit, McGraw was heading out to teach a workshop, then was to teach a portrait drawing class and judge the portrait competition for
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‘Let’s Just Paint’

‘Let’s Just Paint’

July 25, 2013 | by

When she was a senior in high school, Barbara Edwards met a recruiter from Utah State University, who had brought with him original artworks created by several of the professors there. Included was what Barbara describes as a “gorgeous painting by Glen Edwards.” Today, whenever she wants to view one of his paintings, all Barbara has to do is turn her head. She and Glen have been married for 37 years now and happily paint in the same studio at their home north of Salt Lake City, Utah. “We paint side by side,” she says. “Our easels are about five
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Tenacity and Talent

Tenacity and Talent

July 25, 2013 | by

Edward Aldrich, or Ned as anyone who spends more than five minutes in his company calls him, has been an artist, mostly a wildlife artist, for the past 25 years. It is all that he ever aspired to do. It’s the only kind of work he’s ever done. “If the economy doesn’t turn around pretty soon, I may be in trouble, because art is all I know,” Aldrich says with a laugh. Although he always loved art, and it was always his focus, the defining moment came for Aldrich during adolescence. When models were brought into his art class, his
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NEW HORIZONS

NEW HORIZONS

July 25, 2013 | by

While his forte is capturing the pristine beauty of the American West in all its diversity, lakes and streams highlighted by the melding of autumn into winter are often prevalent themes in Colorado-based painter David W. Mayer’s sparkling landscapes. By combining a refined sense of color with his ability to distill and synthesize these settings into their basic essence, Mayer captivates his collectors with canvases depicting the changing of the seasons in the Big Horn Valley of Wyoming, snowy pines cradling high lakes in Glacier National Park, and the fiery foliage lining Colorado’s South Platte River. David Mayer (Utah) Colorado
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Feeling the Light

Feeling the Light

July 25, 2013 | by

Douglas Aagard harkens back to the summers when he hiked Utah’s backcountry, helping his grandfather herd sheep. As a teenager, he had his own version of summer camp, cooking and helping with the chores as his Danish grandpa grazed his bands of sheep. Now in his mid-forties, Aagard keenly recalls the high mountain meadows, the quaking aspen, the little silver trailer, and the unique pastoral setting as if he had been there yesterday. Douglas Aagard (Utah) Portrait Of A Maple Oil 48″ By 36″ “I found this amazing tree while out hiking with my son. I had to paint it
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Art is the Air I Breathe

Art is the Air I Breathe

May 25, 2013 | by

Gordon Snidow made his name painting the American cowboy, something he’s been doing for more than five decades now. Although he has added other subjects to his repertoire over the years, when you mention his name, it’s almost sure to evoke images of the cowboy and the American West Gordon Snidow (New Mexico) Roll Out The Barrel Gouache 28″ X 17″ Having a working season that was long and tough, it’s time to roll out the barrel and have a good time Gordon Snidow (New Mexico) Old Glory Gouache 25″ X 13″ Did you ever see a rodeo parade without
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I’m Not Trying to Stay Safe

I’m Not Trying to Stay Safe

May 25, 2013 | by

Laura Robb admits that, as a teenager, she was such a misfit that she didn’t even fit in with the other misfits. Those days are long past, and today she creates still life paintings that are beautifully composed and masterfully painted. The colors, the light, the textures are skillfully combined to create paintings that are a sheer delight. And that is how Robb has planned it, spending hours to create a painting that looks effortless but that is an artistic jewel. Laura Robb (New Mexico) Sunflowers And Green Apples Oil 30″ By 16″ These stunning variegated sunflowers were from the
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A Driving Devotion

A Driving Devotion

May 25, 2013 | by

The untamed spray spawned by waves crashing against a rugged shoreline, the quietude of a high mountain lake, a fleeting glow of sunset illuminating a coastal evening, or the rustle of the wind in towering eucalyptus trees—these are the ethereal auras of nature that Jesse Powell brings to life in his alluring oil landscapes. Jesse Powell (California) Spring Bloom, Point Lomos Oil 40″ By 48″ We had a banner year for California poppies a few years ago at Point Lobos. I had never before seen such a beautiful display of wild flowers right on the coast. Jesse Powell (California) Evening
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