Archives for Genre

Addicted to Painting

Addicted to Painting

March 22, 2014 | by

Don Weller always intended to make horses his career—but he wasn’t planning on painting them. His goal, he says, was actually to be a rodeo cowboy. It was an obsession that started when Weller was 7 or 8 years old and reading cowboy stories by Will James. He says he whined enough that his mom bought him a horse of his own, which he started riding around his hometown of Pullman, Washington. Don Weller (Utah) A Culdesac of Conjecture Watercolor 18″ x 24″ “These guys are discussing where the cow might be. Nobody knows for sure, but the debate goes
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Home is Where the Horses Are

Home is Where the Horses Are

January 22, 2014 | by

When Jim Rey’s mom died a few years ago, he found some of his childhood drawings that she had saved in a box. The pencil drawings, which Rey had done when he was just 4 or 5 years old, were of horses and cattle. Which is what Rey, now 74, is still drawing and painting. “It’s not something I’m going to outgrow,” he says. “I just really like the subject matter. I like painting the Western experience, so that’s what I’ll keep doing.” Jim Rey (Nebraska) Point Rider Oil 36” by 24” “I vacillated between choosing to do this painting
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Taking Risks

Taking Risks

January 22, 2014 | by

If things had gone differently, Tammy Garcia might be operating her own beauty salon instead of creating award-winning art that sells as quickly as she can create it. Although she has been making and selling pottery since she was a teenager, at one point she enrolled in a beauty school, but quit because she couldn’t afford to continue. The beauty world’s loss was the art world’s gain. One of the most collectible Pueblo potters today, Garcia creates unique ceramic pieces that include traditional effigies, water jars, and storage jars. Tammy Garcia (New Mexico) Elk Hunter Natural Clay “These pots are
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The Studio of Zhuo Liang

The Studio of Zhuo Liang

January 22, 2014 | by

“I looked for the ideal house for two years,” Liang says of the Agoura Hills, California home that yielded the appropriate space needed for his new studio. The area, approximately 40 feet by 40 feet, features a ceiling that rises a full two stories. “You immediately sense the height and it gives you a very good scale, especially if you paint large,” he says, noting that smaller spaces can often make a painting feel out of proportion and larger than it really is. Z. S. Liang (California) Joe Kipp Trader, Missouri River, 1879 Oil 44˝ by 68˝
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Art, Pure and Simple

Art, Pure and Simple

November 25, 2013 | by

Robert Pummill is an artist—no fanfare, no frills, no desire to grandstand his art or his artistic ideas. Chatting with the Texas artist, you might begin to think he’s taciturn, but you quickly realize that’s not the case. He isn’t interesting in tooting his own horn; he just wants to paint. “I just try to make a good picture that someone enjoys looking at,” Pummill says. “I’m not trying to send a message, and I’m not trying to do something so different that it creates a niche for me.” He goes on to explain that he paints because he wouldn’t
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A Glimpse of My Soul

A Glimpse of My Soul

November 25, 2013 | by

The setting sun paints dramatic colors on the nearby 7,000-foot peaks as Karin and Wayne Hollebeke wrap up their ranching chores. Pumping water by hand from their well, they are both reminded of the pioneer lifestyle that was once prominent in this part of rural Utah. The Hollebeke ranch is certainly quieter since Wayne retired from law enforcement nine years ago. The cattle are gone and only three horses remain. But gardening and canning are still high on the list as summer winds down, and after that there might be a little daylight left for fly-fishing. With fewer ranching responsibilities,
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‘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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The Real Deal

The Real Deal

May 25, 2013 | by

“My goal was to go to ranches, hang out, chase cows, and paint. It still is”. So says Tom Dorr, whose cowboy paintings are so eagerly sought after that he struggles to keep up with the demand for his work. While he attributes part of that situation to the fact that he keeps his prices at a reasonable level, there is no denying his skill in portraying the men who are, in essence, his heroes. Tom Dorr (Arizona) Across Shallow Creek Oil 30″ By 40″ Scenery is always a part of the cowboy’s everyday work. The Hassayampa River can be
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Still Riding High

Still Riding High

March 25, 2013 | by

Martin Grelle has realized success beyond his wildest dreams. That success is well deserved, the result of his dedication to, and talent for, depicting the people and land of the West—both historical and contemporary—and of art lovers who willingly and enthusiastically pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to own one of Grelle’s beautifully rendered paintings. Martin Grelle Newlyweds Oil 40″ By 32″ During the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade era, it was a common practice for trappers to take Indian girls as wives. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, not only for the obvious reasons, but because the girls could look
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I’m Still Fighting the Battle

I’m Still Fighting the Battle

January 25, 2013 | by

For Zhuo Liang, art seems to be in his genes. His father, Liang Yongtai, was a noted woodcut artist, who was mentioned in Pearl Buck’s book China in Black and White. His mother also had an art background and served as a musician and composer with the Chinese musicians’ association. And his three siblings are artists, as well. Z. S. Liang (California) Pride Of The Blackfeet Oil 60″ By 32″ The inspiration for this painting was derived from my personal association with these people. Z. S. Liang (California) Preparing For The Confrontation Oil 46″ By 68″ This event dates back
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