Archives for Portrait

I Just Have To Paint It

I Just Have To Paint It

September 19, 2016 | by

Jim Norton was, as he puts it, “scared to death.” He was pale and had a terrible headache, but he stood by his paintings, with a smile on his face, determined to suffer through what he anticipated was going to be a rather humiliating experience. The cause of Norton’s distress was his first showing with the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America (CAA). He was elected into membership in 1989, when he was just 34 years old, and was overwhelmed by the company he would be keeping—artists such as Howard Terpning, Robert Pummell, Roy Andersen, Jim Reynolds, and Ken Riley. Jim
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The Quiet Side of the West

The Quiet Side of the West

July 19, 2016 | by

When it comes to subject matter, Wyoming-based painter Ann Hanson’s inspiration lies just beyond her studio door, in and around her hometown of Shell. Named not for the mega oil company, but rather for huge deposits of prehistoric Ammonite fossils, the tiny rural community (population 84) traces its earliest heritage to the traditions of the Crow Indians and later to the pioneer ranching families that settled in the beautiful Big Horn Basin. Inspired by these cultural influences, Hanson creates highly detailed vignettes of daily life that go beyond mere imagery to capture the heart and soul of today’s West. By
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Following His Heart

Following His Heart

July 19, 2016 | by

For many people, “follow your heart” is a naively optimistic slogan on a motivational poster. For artist Mian Situ, it’s a proven life philosophy. “I have a daughter,” he says. “She’s in college, and she always talks with me about what she’s going to do. She’s in her junior year, and she still doesn’t know what she’s going to do. Every time she asks for my opinion, I tell her, ‘I can’t tell you what to do; you have to do what you like. Other people will tell you what has good earning potential, what will make you lots of
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Striking a Balance

Striking a Balance

May 19, 2016 | by

When Jeremy Lipking was 19 years old, he moved from his family’s home in Southern California to the Sierra Nevada mountain range. He had spent a year taking art classes at a community college but wasn’t fully committed to it. What he really wanted was to be outside—hiking in the mountains, rock climbing, and snowboarding on the California slopes. At some point during all of that outdoor activity, an idea occurred to Lipking: If he were to become a landscape artist, he could make a career out of being outside. Jeremy Lipking Ghost Herd Oil 24″x30″ This piece was inspired
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Magnificently Mesmerizing

Magnificently Mesmerizing

May 19, 2016 | by

Romel de la Torre won his first art award at the tender age of 10. Although his parents had supported his interest in art—encouraging him to draw and sketch the world around him—it wasn’t until he appeared on a local TV program to receive his award that they began to think, “Maybe he’s got a talent here.” He did indeed. Since then, de la Torre has earned many awards for his paintings, including the grand prize and artist of the year awards from the Oil Painters of America and, in 2008, a gold medal and the People’s Choice Award from
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The Studio of Tom Browning

The Studio of Tom Browning

May 19, 2016 | by

The view from Tom Browning’s new studio is worth the price of admission. OK, he doesn’t really charge admission, but if he did, it’d be worth it. Browning’s studio sits atop the home he and his wife Joyce recently built near Bend, Oregon. The couple returned to Oregon in 2014, after a sojourn in Arizona, and lived in a rental home while searching for a spot to build a home of their own. They obviously hit pay dirt on some prime real estate. Tom Browning (Oregon) Barry Oil 18″x15″
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‘Everyday Life Inspires Me’

‘Everyday Life Inspires Me’

March 19, 2016 | by

Andre Kohn’s art teachers at Auburn University figured out quite quickly that he was not a typical student. His drawing and painting skills were already so well developed that they told him to come to class only on the first and last days of the semester. “They said that there was nothing they could teach me,” Kohn says. His English teachers, however, saw much more of Kohn. “I stayed in English 090 for five quarters before I passed,” he admits. “That was much harder for me.” Kohn enrolled at Auburn at the age of 20, shortly after arriving in the
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The Studio of Sonya Terpening

The Studio of Sonya Terpening

March 19, 2016 | by

For want of a door to close, Sonya Terpening’s studio was born. Really. How would you feel if you left work at night and your work stood outside your kitchen begging you to return, demanding your undivided attention? That is pretty much the experience Terpening had until a little more than a year ago when her work life changed for the better. Terpening is excited about her new studio, having recently taken over the master bedroom on the second floor in the Grapevine, Texas, home she has shared with her husband Mark for 28 years. In many respects, Terpening believes
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An Exciting Adventure

An Exciting Adventure

January 19, 2016 | by

Last fall was an especially memorable time for Logan Maxwell Hagege, whose surname hints at his French ancestry. He married Misty Zollars, who owns a denim company that makes women’s jeans. And he earned the Best of Show Purchase Award at the 2015 Quest for the West Exhibition at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, Indiana. His colorful Native American image, Land With No Time, is now included in the museum’s permanent collection. Hagege also is a regular participant in the Masters of the American West exhibition at the Autry National Center for the American
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Ah, Sweet Success

Ah, Sweet Success

January 19, 2016 | by

When Gladys Roldan-de-Moras’ husband Rafael couldn’t attend the 2015 Qwest for the West Show with her, she invited her sister to join her. It was Roldan-de-Moras’ first showing at the prestigious event at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, Indiana, and she was in awe of the other artists and their work. At the awards ceremony, she leaned over to her sister and said she could never get up on stage to accept an award and then have to say a few words to the crowd. Turning back toward the presentation, Roldan-de-Moras was shocked to
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