Archives for Landscape

‘The Greatest Thing I Could Have Done’

‘The Greatest Thing I Could Have Done’

November 15, 2018 | by

During an interview for this article in early August, Denis Milhomme is concerned about the wildfires encroaching on his beloved Yosemite Valley. “It’s a little smokier right now than usual,” he says, lamenting that he can’t capture the photos and plein air paintings he relies on as the basis of his lavishly detailed oil landscapes. “It’s really bad, all these fires that are happening; it’s a lot of damage.” Milhomme, whose home in Three Rivers, California, is not far from Sequoia National Park, treasures these scenic places and worries about their future. He conserves them in the ways that he
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‘I’m Living the Life I Paint’

‘I’m Living the Life I Paint’

November 15, 2018 | by

Tim Cox has gone fishing twice already this year. That might not seem like much to most avid fishermen, but Cox isn’t complaining. It’s more fishing that he’s done for the better part of a decade. In 2010, Cox became the vice president of the Cowboy Artists of America (CAA). The next year, when he was president, the organization officially moved from its long-time headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. That transition consumed most of Cox’s time for much of his two-year term as president. “I think I averaged about four hours of sleep a day for those
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Poetic Landscapes

Poetic Landscapes

September 15, 2018 | by

For Colorado artist David Grossmann, painting is a heartfelt means of communication. It’s his way of incorporating beauty, creation, imagination, and memory into his art. At first glance, his muted landscapes seem simple, soft. Look closer, and you see they are teeming with texture, nuance, and subtle commentary. Grossmann hopes his quiet, evocative paintings inspire viewers to linger and reflect on nature, to observe the beauty around them. “There is so much clamor for attention [in the world] that it’s easy to miss the quiet,” he explains. “I’d like people to pause and observe, look at the textures. I paint
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Big Brushes, Lots of Paint

Big Brushes, Lots of Paint

September 15, 2018 | by

Kim Casebeer has happily spent her entire life in Kansas—and why not? It’s where she was raised, earned her college degree, met and married Shannon, started her family, and began what quickly became a successful career as a landscape painter. That success is apparent in the many awards she has earned, including top honors in the Art Muse Contest’s Master Class Division this past March, an Award of Excellence in the 2015 National Oil Painters of America (OPA) Exhibition, and an Award of Excellence in the 2014 Western Regional Oil Painters of America Show. While she values the honors she
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Big Skies, Big Ideas

Big Skies, Big Ideas

September 15, 2018 | by

If the legendarily big Montana skies look just a little bit bigger in Josh Elliott’s paintings than in real life, that’s by design. “Recently, I’ve been giving myself a little more freedom to interpret, rather than being a strict slave to reality,” says Elliott, whose vivid landscapes depict national parks and other scenic areas. “That would involve changing colors up a little bit. I’m giving myself the freedom to say, ‘This I think would make a better painting.’ That comes with knowledge and years of painting. I’ve fought such a hard fight to stray from reality, but it’s more rewarding,
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Following the Light

Following the Light

July 15, 2018 | by

Light glistening on the snowy banks of a river, illuminating trees, reflecting on water—no matter where he is painting, Tom Lockhart looks to the light, inspired by its brilliant, dramatic impact on the land. “I’m fascinated by the light—soft, warm, or bright—and how it affects the subject,” he says. Exceptionally talented at using light to showcase the natural beauty of the world, Lockhart captures the attention of viewers, urging them to share his wonder at what he sees before him, whether it’s the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, waterways, or farmlands. “I try to convey a sense of mood, a
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Infusions of Light

Infusions of Light

July 15, 2018 | by

Long before he became an artist, Jim Wilcox juggled three loves: product design, architecture, and painting. Because his high school didn’t have an art program, he funneled his creative energy into drawing horses and later competing in the Model Car Competition. He won third place in the auto design competition, which challenged boys to create the car of the future. “I did that for two years—1959 and 1960—and won the smallest award you could win, which was third place in Colorado, where I lived at the time,” he says, adding with a chuckle that there were probably only three contestants
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Abstract Impressionism

Abstract Impressionism

May 15, 2018 | by

Perched atop the corrals or catwalks above rodeos, artist Howard Post gets a view that rouses his muse. The patterns of cattle huddled together in the corral, or the linear outline of the fences create a vision that spawns his artistic vision and are a strong focus in the Arizona artist’s paintings. Post, once an avid rodeo participant himself, discovered this birds-eye perspective by accident. To get a better look, he clambered up above the activity and discovered patterns and light that hadn’t been evident from his ground-level participation. The new perspective set his contemporary paintings of cattle, cowboys, rodeo
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The Studio of Debra Joy Groesser

The Studio of Debra Joy Groesser

March 15, 2018 | by

Reflecting on how quickly time passes, Nebraska-based plein air painter Debra Joy Groesser is a bit amazed to realize that she celebrated her studio’s 20 th anniversary in December 2017. Her studio and her home are located in Ralston, a one-square mile incorporated town with a population of approximately 6,800 near Omaha that her husband Don has served as mayor for the past 21 years. The upper level of the building, which encompasses approximately 700 square feet, houses Groesser’s studio, framing area, and a small office. It includes four north-facing windows and two more on the east wall that provide
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‘Celebrating God’s Creation’

‘Celebrating God’s Creation’

March 15, 2018 | by

We’re surrounded by it, and yet we don’t see it—the brilliant colors of leaves in the fall, the magnificent glow of a sunset, the snowy banks along a creek. We know it’s there, but we take it for granted, as we go about our busy lives. And we feel it—sun shining on our faces, wind blowing through our hair, crashing waves sending a misty bouquet of shimmering water through the air. Mother Nature beckons us to enjoy and appreciate the wonders she has to offer, but all too often we ignore those offerings, as we go about our busy lives.
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