Archives for Wildlife

I’m Never Bored

I’m Never Bored

November 20, 2015 | by

A drive to yoga class about 10 years ago provided an aha moment for Teresa Elliott. As she drove by a pasture of longhorns, she was so taken by what she saw that she returned the next day and took photographs of them. “There was a bull there,” she says. “It was hot, and he was miserable and stomping his feet. I took a snapshot and went back home and that was my first painting.” Little did Elliott realize how popular her longhorn portraits would become, how eagerly collectors would seek them out. She painted them because she loved them
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Balancing Act

Balancing Act

September 20, 2015 | by

As the early morning light steals in, it illuminates a stand of reeds. You watch in anticipation, breathlessly waiting, ready for the full light to capture the scene. Suddenly, as the light reaches a certain peak, a rush of birds—about 20 green-winged teal and mallards—descend as a unit. You hold your breath as the scene unfolds. The birds, exquisite in flight, weightless and graceful in their speed, race to the heights. These waterfowl, however, are not actually out in nature; they are a Walter Matia sculpture that spans an immense, indoor stone wall at business tycoon Boone Pickens’ Mesa Vista
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Simplicity And Beauty

Simplicity And Beauty

July 20, 2015 | by

“I don’t know that I could be in a better place.” Although Gregory Beecham is referring to his home in Dubois, Wyoming, a rural area brimming with wildlife, those words also aptly describe the success he has realized with his paintings. The enthusiasm of his collectors, combined with several prestigious awards, gives testimony to the skill with which he depicts the animals that inspire him. Greg Beecham (Wyoming) Flying Fortress—Trumpeter Swans Oil 24″x48″ “I knew, going in to this piece, that I was taking a risk in having my point of interest facing away from the viewer. But my experience
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Realistic Paintings, Idealized Subjects

Realistic Paintings, Idealized Subjects

July 20, 2015 | by

Though France has produced many famous artists, one typically does not think of a French native devoting a distinguished artistic career to the depiction of Native Americans. But such was the case with François Henri Farny (later Anglicized to Henry Farny), who painted a proud picture of a Native American race that already was on the decline. Born in the Alsace region of France on July 15, 1847, Farny was the third child in a Protestant family that sought to escape an atmosphere of political turmoil and religious oppression. Henry Farny The Song of the Talking Wire (1904) Oil 22″x40″
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The Studio of Rosetta

The Studio of Rosetta

July 20, 2015 | by

Loveland, Colorado, for all intents and purposes, is a sculptor’s mecca. The number of expert casting foundries is legion. Well, OK, that’s an exaggeration, but there are a lot of them, especially for a town with about 50,000 residents. The city’s annual Sculpture in the Park, which celebrated its 31st anniversary this year, features hundreds of artists and attracts thousands of visitors every summer. Is it any wonder sculptors and other artists gravitate to the lovely city? Like many other artists, Rosetta was drawn to the artistic community and moved her sculpture studio from California to Loveland in 1987. Rosetta
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Expression and Intuition

Expression and Intuition

May 20, 2015 | by

As an award-winning member of Oil Painters of America, Oklahoma native Derek Penix strongly believes an artist’s ability to paint intuitively is what makes the difference between creating a work that is technically and aesthetically pleasing versus one that has the potential to become a masterpiece. “Watching a recent U-tube video listing the world’s 10 most expensive paintings, I observed that the common denominator for each was that none of the artists painted literally,” he says. “All changed what they saw, making it into their own world.” This type of discernment comes naturally to one who grew up surrounded by
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The Studio of Kent Ullberg

The Studio of Kent Ullberg

March 20, 2015 | by

Wildlife sculptor Kent Ullberg has had a certain amount of luck when it comes to finding just the right studio spaces. When he and his family visited Corpus Christi, Texas, more than 35 years ago, they saw a house for sale and decided to call the realtor. Upon learning that Ullberg was an artist, the realtor quickly pointed out that the house they had seen included a studio, with skylights, as part of the garage. “It was really a guest house,” Ullberg says now, “but that realtor knew the right things to say. And it turned into a great studio
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Quintessential Movement

Quintessential Movement

January 20, 2015 | by

Birds in flight—majestic and powerful, banking, diving, soaring. Fish gliding through water—swift and focused, twitching, darting, frolicking. Each of J. Christopher White’s sculptures personifies movement and grace. Surprisingly, his sculptures are woodcarvings, or bronze-wood meld. Rarely would one quantify wood carving as fine art. White, however, has mastered this craft, turning the traditional stereotype of woodcarving on its head. At his hand, wood carving–intricate and bold–becomes poetry in motion. J. Christopher White The Rest Within the Running Alabaster Bronzewood Meld™ 13″ High “Bronze and beautiful petrified wood alabaster are melded into a single media, bronzestone meld, with a masterful patina
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Still Climbing

Still Climbing

January 20, 2015 | by

How do you celebrate your birthday when you hit 60? If you are Colorado artist Ralph Oberg, you book a trip to Nepal. While it might not be on everyone’s bucket list, Oberg wanted to satisfy a deep longing to see the infamous peaks of that remote country. It was fittingly his first trip off the North American continent. Ralph Oberg Born to Run Oil 28″x36″ “By three weeks of age, pronghorn fawns are on their feet, ready to go. To avoid predators and keep up with mom, this is an important evolutionary adaptation. Soon they can run with the
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Stalking Perfection in the Great Outdoors

Stalking Perfection in the Great Outdoors

November 22, 2014 | by

When Michael Coleman was in kindergarten, his drawings were so intricate that his teacher suspected his mother was giving him art lessons at home. Actually, what his parents were doing was raising their son as something of a free-range chicken. Michael Coleman Geyser Basin Oil 40″ x 30″ Yellowstone in October, when light and vapor is at its turn-of-the season best! Michael Coleman A Gathering of Wolves Oil 30″ x 40″ In a gathering of wolves, a come together call from the heart of the woods and out of the shadows.
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