Archives for Oil

Keeping Risk Alive

Keeping Risk Alive

September 26, 2012 | by

Bill Anton has been wowing Western art lovers with his paintings of the cowboy for three decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Bill Anton (Arizona) New Mexico Morning Oil 20″ By 30″ I’ve never found anything more compelling to paint than cowboys doing ordinary things. Bill Anton (Arizona) Wild And Rugged Oil 30″ By 48″ The backwater West, canyon-slashed and sun-baked, is home to ranching. As development engulfs more and more of the rural areas, ranchers are left to eek out livings in hard lands with tough, experienced men and women.
Read More

A Journey of My Life

A Journey of My Life

September 26, 2012 | by

The life that Dean Mitchell knew in the poverty stricken rural area where he grew up in many ways can be glimpsed by looking at his art. Dean Mitchell (Florida) Snow Hills Watercolor 20″ By 30″ I love the white of the snow on the land in winter. It is beautiful, airy, and peaceful. Dean Mitchell (Florida) Winter On Gillham Road Watercolor 12″ By 16″ This winter scene is in the greater Kansas City area, about a block or two from the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. I traveled this road many times when I was a teacher at the
Read More

Filtering Nature’s Truth

Filtering Nature’s Truth

September 26, 2012 | by

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.
Read More

Opening Windows

Opening Windows

September 26, 2012 | by

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
Read More

Emotional Intensity

Emotional Intensity

September 26, 2012 | by

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
Read More

Payne’s Power

Payne’s Power

July 26, 2012 | by

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.
Read More

On His Way

On His Way

July 26, 2012 | by

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.
Read More

I Paint Heroes

I Paint Heroes

July 26, 2012 | by

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″
Read More

Switching Gears

Switching Gears

May 26, 2012 | by

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
Read More