Archives for Oil

Filtering Nature’s Truth

Montana artist Josh Elliott has a tag line for his art: “Nature’s truth filtered through the artist.” Josh Elliot (Montana) St. Mary Shores Oil 18″ By 36″ I enjoy painting scenes where you can see the connection of the foreground to the background. Josh Elliot (Montana) Floating Gold Oil 20″ By 20″ Blue and gold is a pleasing color combination. I tried to make an interesting composition. Dividing a painting with half water, half land is typically not recommended. Because the patterns of light and dark are varied, the painting doesn’t look split in half and stagnant.
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Opening Windows

Born in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1958, and raised in Monroe, Louisiana, Heide Presse is one of a long list of renowned artists, who first honed their talents in the field of commercial art. Heide Presse (Florida) Transition Oil 12″ By 9″ This painting features a mid-19th century teen, still young enough to wear the low neckline common for children’s garments, but transitioning into a young lady with her hair up and wearing one of her mother’s shawls. This is one of my antique paisley shawls, which were very popular in this era. Heide Presse (Florida) The Sound Of Wings Oil
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Emotional Intensity

William Shepherd’s still life paintings are more than renditions of interesting objects placed in aesthetically pleasing compositions. They are tantalizing vignettes made even more compelling by the shadows Shepherd places so strategically in each setting. William Shepherd (New Mexico) Shadow Flight Oil 50″ By 48″ This painting was a marathon. I believe it was Picasso who said, ‘Paintings aren’t finished, they are abandoned.’ Shadow Fight gave real meaning to those words. The two greatest difficulties were finding the subtle shades of color and density in the shadows, and finding just the right colors on the surface of the tray to
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Payne’s Power

Wanderlust, combined with a love of nature and an incredible natural artistic talent, made Edgar Alwin Payne (1883 – 1947) one of the most sought after and celebrated of California’s early plein air painters. Edgar Payne Canyon Mission Viejo, Capistrano, N.d. Oil 24″ By 28″ Private Collection Courtesy of The Irvine Museum. Edgar Payne Sierra Peaks Oil 42″ By 42″ Collection of D. L. Stuart Jr.
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On His Way

Discovering evocative imagery created by emerging artists is one of the most exciting and rewarding perks of spending time at galleries and special exhibitions. For this reason, art enthusiasts will want to look for works by Dustin Van Wechel, a wildlife painter whose name ranks high on the list of young artists who are beginning to capture the attention of collector’s throughout the country. Dustin Van Wechel Alternate Route Oil 40″ By 30″ The concept for this painting is about the contrast of textures—the rugged surfaces of the rock contrasted by the softness of the mountain goats and the water.
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I Paint Heroes

Historical artists are a different breed. That’s one of the first things David Wright will tell you, and he has more than three decades of credibility to back him up. David Wright Red Mountain Trapper Oil 30″ By 24″ David Wright Scouting For Prime Pelts Oil 36″ By 60″
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Switching Gears

George Carlson will celebrate his 72nd birthday in July, but he has the energy, physically as well as intellectually, of a man several decades younger. His enthusiasm as he talks about his life and his art is palpable. And no wonder—both have been fulfilling beyond what he could have imagined as a young boy growing up in Illinois. George Carlson (Idaho) Third-Year Hunt Oil 42″ By 42″ The bone white of the prostrate cottonwood supports a 3-year-old bald eagle in juvenile plumage. It was the tree that mesmerized me. George Carlson (Idaho) Descendent Of A War Horse Bronze 18″ High
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A Great Gift

Working out of a studio in a suburb just west of Chicago, Illinois, Zhiwei Tu lives some 8,000 miles away from his ancestral home in the remote, mountainous area of Guandong Province in South China. Despite the distance, evocative figures on light-filled canvases still allow the gifted artist to share childhood memories and the ancient tales and legends of his beloved homeland with a worldwide audience. Zhiwei Tu (Illinois) Girl With Red Scarf Oil 30″ By 24″ In 2007, I was asked to do a demo, and the model was dressed very well by Frankie Johnson, director of Mainstreet Art
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Walking on the Wild Side

Luke Frazier is young, he\’s talented, and he represents a generation of young artists who will carry on the traditions of wildlife art masters such as Carl Rungius and Bob Kuhn. Luke Frazier (Utah) Pouncer Oil 16″ By 20″ Fox in the snow are a beautiful subject to paint—the warm, full colors of their winter pelage, juxtaposed against the cool colors of shadows and snow. Here, a true veteran listens for minute sounds under the snow, then in an explosion, leaps and dives nose first into the crusted snow, pinning the prey. Luke Frazier (Utah) Old Timer Oil 36″ By
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