Archives for Still Life

Joyful Creativity

Joyful Creativity

January 15, 2018 | by

Laura Robb’s still life paintings are anything but still. Magnificently composed and masterfully executed, they come alive with vibrant colors, an exciting blend of shapes, strategically placed light, and intriguing brush strokes. They are a visual feast that have earned Robb a myriad of awards and that continue to challenge and excite her as much today as they did 30 years ago. When it comes to choosing the objects she will include in her paintings, Robb focuses on visual values, selecting them based on their visual appeal rather than their narrative value. “The most important qualities I look for in
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Counting Her Many Blessings

Counting Her Many Blessings

May 18, 2017 | by

If you were a mouse in the corner of Sherrie McGraw’s studio, you would be amazed at two things: her skill, as she transforms a blank canvas into a magnificent painting—and her pirouettes, as she goes to the kitchen to make lunch. While her paintings have earned her high honors, she admits that her pirouettes still need work. At the center of her life, however, are McGraw’s love of art and her love for fellow artist and long-time partner David Leffel. A native Oklahoman, McGraw studied for a time at Central University in Edmond, Oklahoma, then studied for three years
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‘I’ve Got to Keep Painting’

‘I’ve Got to Keep Painting’

January 18, 2017 | by

To say that the past year has been a rough one for Joe Anna Arnett would be an understatement. Her husband of 31 years, artist James Asher, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the fall of 2015. Just as the couple was dealing with that news, a black widow spider bit Arnett’s foot, as she stepped into the shower. “The pain was horrible,” she says. “There are neurotoxins coursing through your body, and there’s nothing you can do for the pain. It was miserable.” But instead of dwelling on the difficulties, Arnett decided to look for the good. Some days,
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The Dream Continues

The Dream Continues

January 18, 2017 | by

William Acheff is every bit as clever, colorful, and captivating as his still life paintings, which have earned him numerous awards, including two at the prestigious Prix de West Show, the first in 1989, the second in 2004, as well as the Masters of America West Purchase Award in 1998. A conversation with this talented artist reveals a commitment to creating art that is beautifully provocative, along with a delightful sense of humor. Acheff’s talent reaches far beyond painting. He has remodeled several homes in Taos, New Mexico, where he has lived since 1973. He has a pilot’s license and
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Magical Connections

Magical Connections

November 19, 2016 | by

While strolling through a gallery, a painting catches your eye: an intricately portrayed primitive clay pot set against a stark black background. It’s a complicated design, dramatically displayed. You’re drawn to the simple artifact, looking deeper for meaning you can feel but can’t see. That is exactly the effect Santa Fe, New Mexico, artist Roseta Santiago hopes to elicit. Painting these artifacts, she says, is like looking into the window of the ancient peoples’ souls and retelling their history. When she looks at a piece of pottery, Santiago doesn’t see just a geometric, complex design, although it’s clearly visible. What
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The Studio of Lori Putnam

The Studio of Lori Putnam

November 20, 2015 | by

An affinity for Italy led Lori Putnam and her husband Mark to sell everything they owned in 2008, pull up stakes, and move there for eight months, where Putnam spent the time absorbing the countryside and translating that experience into her art. When they returned to the United States early the next year, the economy was beginning to tank. Mark was searching for a suitable job and, rather than get tied to a mortgage, they chose to rent an apartment, until they felt more stable. The only logical option was to build a studio they could live in. The result
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Following His Dream

Following His Dream

September 22, 2014 | by

In early July, recently returned from a trip to Alaska, Daniel Keys is happily painting back home near Fresno, California. Although he enjoyed the experience, which included giving painting demonstrations for an art group on a cruise and being exposed to the majesty of Alaska, Keys says he was a little homesick and “more than ready to see something other than glorious mountains; I think I’m a city boy at heart.” No matter where this talented young artist is, he is creating magnificent paintings that are infused will brilliant colors and light. Daniel Keys Roses & Lilies Oil 12″ x
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No Restrictions

No Restrictions

September 22, 2014 | by

Jenness Cortez had several ideas in mind when she started planning her recent painting titled Conversations with a Cowboy. She knew she would build the composition around Frederic Remington’s painting Stampede by Lightning and that she wanted to include photographs of real cowboys with it. She also had a Charles Russell painting in mind to include, along a bronze sculpture titled Buckaroo. Jenness Cortez The Color of Night Acrylic 24″ x 18″ “This is a tribute to Frederic Remington’s nocturnes that explored the mysteries and drama of night.” Jenness Cortez Native American Medicine Acrylic 30″ x 24″ “Facilitating connections between
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Infinite Possibilities

Infinite Possibilities

March 22, 2014 | by

Jeffrey Legg’s still life paintings are stunning. The colors, the textures, the strategic lighting all combine to create paintings that have earned a myriad of honors. Last year alone, Legg walked away with several awards, including the Donors Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of American National Juried Exhibition, Best of Show Award at Plein Air Rockies, and the Artists’ Choice and Best Quick Draw Painting awards at Weekend in the West. Jeffrey Legg (Colorado) Luminous Progression Oil 12″ x 16″ “The light pouring across the forms and the subtle gradations has always interested me.” Jeffrey Legg (Colorado) Copper
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‘It is Still Magical’

‘It is Still Magical’

January 22, 2014 | by

Richard Schmid is a painter’s painter, an artist’s artist. The truth of that statement is evident not only in his magnificent paintings, which have garnered countless awards and are included in collections throughout the world, but in the popularity of the books he writes and the workshops he conducts. Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1934 and currently living in New Hampshire with his wife, Nancy Guzik, a talented artist in her own right. Richard Schmid (Vermont) Nasturtium Sketch Oil 9” by 12” “Nasturtiums, like pansies, beg to be painted, because they lend themselves so readily to simple, bold brushwork and
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