Archives for Wildlife

The Studio of Bruce Greene

The Studio of Bruce Greene

September 18, 2017 | by

Bruce Greene doesn’t just create Western art; he lives it. Since 1998, about four times a year, he spends a stretch of several days at one of two historic Texas ranches—JA Ranch, the oldest privately owned ranch in the Texas Panhandle, and the legendary Four Sixes Ranch. What does he do there? He engages in contemporary cowboy activities: riding, roping, and wrangling. Those forays into the cowboy psyche have a profound impact on Greene’s art. There’s nothing quite like an authentic contemporary cowboy experience to awaken and excite his creative muse. Greene describes his time at the ranches as magical.
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Speaking the Language of Paint

Speaking the Language of Paint

September 18, 2017 | by

Every once in awhile, Nancy Boren comes across two watercolor paintings she did of the Grand Canyon, when she was about 12. “They were, without doubt, the worst paintings ever created,” she says. “I think I’ve made some progress since then.” That’s an understatement for this talented artist, who describes those early paintings as resembling “a big bunch of purple hamburger meat,” due in part to the fact that, at that age, she was unable to view the scene as a whole. She’s come a long way since then, earning prestigious awards for her paintings, while also finding other outlets
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‘Plenty Left to Do’

‘Plenty Left to Do’

July 18, 2017 | by

Gerald Balciar and his wife Bonnie start every day with a walk around their property. They loop around the 10-acre plot near Parker, Colorado, three times, weaving between the trees they planted when they moved there 26 years ago. As they walk, Balciar counts bluebirds. “Most days we see eight or 10 of them,” he says. “When I get an idea, I grab a magic marker, a crayon, whatever I can find, and quickly sketch it out,” he says. “Sometimes, I just write it out. If I don’t, I’ll forget it, and I don’t want to do that.” Balciar has
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‘Unexpected Miracles’

‘Unexpected Miracles’

July 18, 2017 | by

The man walked into the gallery, studied several paintings, and then purchased one of Carol Peek’s paintings of a Holstein. “I have to have this painting,” he told the gallery staff member, “and I don’t even like cows!” It was a great compliment for Peek, who says, “I got him to feel something about a subject he never would have looked at before. Something I felt was transferred to him through paint. When people say, ‘I didn’t know a cow could be so beautiful,’ I love it, because they can feel that I loved painting it.” And that, she says,
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‘I Paint to Listen’

‘I Paint to Listen’

July 18, 2017 | by

Montana artist John Potter does more than paint lovely landscapes and realistic wildlife. His art invites viewers to listen to the voice of the earth inside them. “The deeper message I hope to convey is this: Take the time to nurture and nourish your senses, your heart, and your spirit in the quiet dignity to be found in wild places and wild things,” he says. Potter isn’t a household name—yet—but he probably should be. His paintings ostensibly portray wildlife and nature. But, look closer. He’s not handing out trophy images of animals, birds, or benign landscapes; he’s offering a revelation.
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Making Connections, Seeing Patterns

Making Connections, Seeing Patterns

July 18, 2017 | by

“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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The Long and Winding Road

The Long and Winding Road

July 18, 2017 | by

“I was an out-of-control child,” John DeMott says. “I was right-brain from the get-go. We would walk to kindergarten, and sometimes I wouldn’t make it to class, so my mother would come looking for me, and I would be catching butterflies. I did what I wanted to do, not necessarily what I was supposed to do. I have kind of marched to my own tune my whole life.” He has indeed. But, oh what a tune it is. Today, DeMott is a successful artist—and part-time musician—living in Loveland, Colorado, where he is surrounded by the natural beauty, the people, and
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The Studio of Greg Beecham

The Studio of Greg Beecham

May 18, 2017 | by

Dubois, Wyoming, is billed as one of the last Old West towns in the country. Its Chamber of Commerce web site touts its charm as a “gem with that frontier feeling. Far from everything, and the center of everything.” The town, nestled in the foothills of the mountains, is an hour away from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, just over the scenic Togwotee Pass highway. Greg Beecham has called this enchanting Western town home since 1997, when he and his family moved to Wyoming from Washington State. Initially, when they purchased the home, he thought a small room off
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A Balancing Act

A Balancing Act

March 18, 2017 | by

Colorado artist Lori Forest relies on her acute powers of observation and her love of the natural world to bring authenticity to her paintings. Even as a young child, growing up in the rural Midwest, she spent her time drawing dinosaurs and horses, insistent on being accurate. “I was fixated on getting it right,” she says, adding that even as a young child, authenticity was crucial. After some consideration, Forest chose to study geology at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colorado, saying, “I’ve always loved the earth. Geology has always fascinated me, and I think that plays a really
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Creative Freedom

Creative Freedom

January 18, 2017 | by

“Right now, I have three life-sized brown bears in my studio,” reports Joshua Tobey, sounding far less perturbed than other people might be under similar circumstances. “I also have three different African table-top pieces in progress. And my job today is to push all that aside and conceptualize a new sculpture for my show in Oregon next month.” Brown bears in the studio, multiple works in various stages of progress, new pieces to dream up, a calendar full of trips to art shows and foundries—it’s a fairly representative slice of the life of the bronze artist, who has been creating
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