Archives for Figurative

‘The Sagebrush Rembrandt’

He hailed from West Virginia, received most of his training in Europe, and lived most of his life in New York City. But William R. Leigh is best known for his portrayals of the West – a region he didn’t explore until he was about 40 years old. Eventually, however, his became so connected with the West that he was dubbed the “Sagebrush Rembrandt.” Leigh was born September 23, 1866, to a family whose once-valuable estate had just been destroyed by Civil War-related carnage and looting. He claimed to have descended from both Sir Walter Raleigh and Pocahontas. Though those
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Western Art: An Evolving Story

In the late 19th century, Western artists were, in essence, historians of the American West. James Catlin, Hudson River School artists Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran and others created realistic paintings that told the story of Indians, white pioneers, and unspoiled landscape. Other well-known artists, such as Frederic Remington and Charlie Russell, expanded the genre into action scenes depicting the disappearing Wild West. In more recent history, illustrators such as Howard Terpning, Frank McCarthy, Bob Kuhn, and Howard Rogers, continued to document the Western story, but from a more contemporary standpoint. Does that mean there is a Western art revolution,
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Making Connections, Seeing Patterns

“Painting is all about seeing,” oil painter Carolyn Anderson frequently notes. It’s a talking point in previous interviews, and it’s something she reiterates regularly to the intermediate and advanced art students, who attend her workshops. It’s also a concept absolutely essential to understanding her art, both in terms of creative process and end result. “Too many of us repeat that information without thinking about what that actually means,” Anderson says. “If it actually is all about seeing, it takes on a whole new level of importance.” Carolyn Anderson Before the Race Oil 12″x12″ “I like imagery with some kind of
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Western Inspiration

The son of American missionary parents, Don Oelze was born in New Zealand in 1965 and lived there for the next nine years of his life. Despite those beginnings half a continent away, who now lives in Montana, has been blessed with the ability to portray the history of the American West with a remarkably vivid and captivating reality. The explanation of this gift is simple: From early childhood, his mother and father had piqued their son’s curiosity about Western and Native American cultures by sharing stories of their own upbringings in Arizona and Montana. His maternal grandmother reinforced the
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The Studio of Doug Hyde

When visualizing the studio of Native American sculptor Doug Hyde, few would suspect that an ordinary looking cinder block building located in a small town some 25 miles outside of Prescott, Arizona, houses the creative space of one of the country’s most talented and respected artists. After moving from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Prescott approximately 11 years ago, Hyde chose to work out of his home studio for a time. As demand for his sculptures continued to grow, however, he realized that he not only needed a larger working space but also a location where residential neighbors would not
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The Studio of Kent Ullberg

Wildlife sculptor Kent Ullberg has had a certain amount of luck when it comes to finding just the right studio spaces. When he and his family visited Corpus Christi, Texas, more than 35 years ago, they saw a house for sale and decided to call the realtor. Upon learning that Ullberg was an artist, the realtor quickly pointed out that the house they had seen included a studio, with skylights, as part of the garage. “It was really a guest house,” Ullberg says now, “but that realtor knew the right things to say. And it turned into a great studio
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A Man and His Medium

The stone speaks to me. I let the stone tell me what to do. Doug Hyde (Arizona) People Of The Red Tailed Hawk Bronze 62″ By 40″ By 76″ The Red Tailed Hawk is one of the most common hawks. He is revered in Indian country for his hunting skills and keen vision. The sculpture shows him flying over all the different tribes, from early history to today. Doug Hyde (Arizona) The Drum Echoes Through Our Hearts Utah Alabaster 10″ By 27″ By 19″ This intertribal gathering of many different tribes has the common thread of the drum. It is
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Challenges Met

Blair Buswell How Many More Bronze 19 1/2″ High Veryl Goodnight A New Beginning Bronze 14″ High James Muir The Dance Bronze 7′ High Scott Rogers Stampede Bronze 28″ High Dennis Smith Small Wonder Bronze 18″ High Shirley Thomson Smith Femeninas Bronze 45″ Height
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