Archives for Figurative

From Westerns to Santas

From Westerns to Santas

October 13, 2026 | by

The Two Artistic Worlds of Cowboy Artists of America Member Tom Browning   As an artist, Tom Browning has two sides. On one side is his dedication to creating realistic Western paintings that include wildlife, horses, cowboys, and Native Americans and softer subjects that include women and children in vintage clothing. The other side has him painting Santa Claus in whimsical settings that include golf courses, beaches, and his workshop. No matter what he is painting, the award-winning, internationally known Oregon artist is determined to capture the essence of his subject and to do so in a painterly style. Browning
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Sharing the Desert Landscape

Sharing the Desert Landscape

October 8, 2026 | by

Contemporary Western Artist Kevin Chupik Draws Inspiration From the Arizona Desert   Kevin Chupik knows what it’s like to live in the desert. He understands the desolation, the silence, and the sweltering heat. He knows all about the suffering that’s part and parcel of the landscape. And he loves all of it. “It’s a twisted thing, but the rewards are tangible,” he says. “The audible silences that make so much noise, the crunching of the rocks under foot, the caw of the ravens, and the sound of the wind—is all so very real when you experience it.” Chupik first fell
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Still Lifting the Human Spirit

Still Lifting the Human Spirit

October 8, 2026 | by

Sculptor Gary Lee Price Brings Dr. Viktor Frankl’s Statue of Responsibility to Life   Gary Lee Price—what a man, what an artist, what an inspiration! He’s been using his sculptures to lift the spirits of people for more than four decades through thousands of sculptures that have found homes in museums, churches, cemeteries, airports, botanical gardens, and corporate offices throughout the world. While Price is grateful for his success with those sculptures, he’s most excited about the one he is planning for the future. That one, something he’s been dreaming about for years, will be a massive 305-foot monument titled
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Sweet Success

Sweet Success

August 6, 2026 | by

Award-Winning Western Artist Albin Veselka Draws on His Cowboy Heritage and Ranching Background   Albin Veselka has paid his dues, just as most successful artists have, and is now reaping the rewards of overcoming the struggles of developing a career in the world of fine art. He participates in several invitational events, including the Cowboy Artists of America’s Show, the Coors Show, the Buffalo Bill Auction, the Out West Art Show, the Coeur d’Alene Auction, and a few shows each year at Settlers West Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. Veselka lives with his wife Jenee and their four children in the
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Excellence and Beauty

Excellence and Beauty

August 6, 2026 | by

How Atelier Training Helped Jonathan Noon Transform a Passion for Drawing into a Fine Art Career   Named after the French word for studio, atelier schools are where students immerse themselves in an intensive series of training in realism. For months on end, they draw and paint repeatedly, often the same subject—usually still lifes or human models—with a focus on detail. Along with most of the world, Jonathan Noon had some time on his hands during the pandemic, so he decided to seriously explore his interest in drawing and painting. Up to that point in his life, he had set
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The Drama of Black and White

The Drama of Black and White

August 6, 2026 | by

Influenced by Cherokee Heritage, Stephanie Campos Creates Striking Realist Portraits of Native Americans When Stephanie Campos was in kindergarten, her teacher gave the class a drawing assignment. She finished her drawing and gave it to the teacher, who then asked her to draw it again. “I think she wanted to know that it wasn’t ‘accidentally’ good,” she says. “Then she called my parents and said, ‘Your daughter is an artist.’” She is indeed. Today Campos is known for her realistic charcoal portraits of Native Americans. Her work has caught the attention of collectors—and other artists. In fact, when asked about
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Celebrating Richard Schmid

Celebrating Richard Schmid

August 6, 2026 | by

  How do you honor the life and work of someone as talented and generous as Richard Schmid? How do you celebrate a master artist who championed the beauty and integrity of representational work through his magnificent paintings? How do you acknowledge an artist who generously shared his knowledge by mentoring countless artists in various stages of their journeys? How do you celebrate and recognize the joy he found in creating art? The answer is this: You gather with others who loved, appreciated, and learned from him. That will be the case in October, when the Palette & Chisel Academy
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The Nostalgic West

The Nostalgic West

June 9, 2026 | by

From a First-Grade Drawing to National Recognition: The Story of Artist Dennis Ziemienski   A trip to the principal’s office in first grade might have been the catalyst that pushed Dennis Ziemienski toward art. When he drew a full wine glass next to a bottle, his principal called his parents in for two reasons: One, he worried Ziemienski might be “imbibing” at home, given the adult subject matter. Two, the principal, who was also an artist, noticed that the child had correctly drawn the top of his wine glass as an ellipse. The kid could already render complex visual perspectives
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Wildlife With a Twist

Wildlife With a Twist

June 9, 2026 | by

How Lisa Gleim Transitioned from Portraiture to Wildlife Art Inspired by Montana’s Wilderness   About 10 years ago, after painting portraits for more than 20 years, Georgia-based artist Lisa Gleim needed a change. She found what she wanted when she and her oncologist husband Bill Jonas bought a vacation home in Big Sky, Montana. While there, she spent days photographing bears at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, a sanctuary for bears and wolves that for various reasons wouldn’t survive in the wild, and taking in the mountain scenery. That visit made a profound impression on her and kickstarted a
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Fresh Mind, Fresh Eyes

Fresh Mind, Fresh Eyes

June 9, 2026 | by

How Disney Visual Designer Simon Lok Helped Shape the Iconic Look of Mulan and Transitioned Into a Career of Western Art   You might not recognize Simon Lok’s name, but you have almost certainly seen his work. If you watched any of Disney’s animated feature films in the late 1990s and early 2000s—“Mulan,” “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” “Brother Bear,” or “The Princess and the Frog” to name just a few—you’re familiar with his use of color, light, and landscape to create a vivid and memorable palette and setting for those films’ characters and their adventures. Lok, who is listed in
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