John Wayne stood looking at a painting by Olaf Wieghorst, an artist he knew and admired and whose work he collected. The painting, Spring Rain, is a night scene depicting a mounted cowboy in the rain, water running off his hat, coat, and his drenched...
Many years ago, when David A Leffel moved into a studio on Union Square in New York City, the walls were white and the landlord refused to let him repaint them. But white studio walls don’t work for artists who paint from life. Reflected light...
Amanda Markel’s bronze works portray their subjects by what she leaves out just as much as by what she includes. Aria, for example, melds a fluid Eastern yin-yang symbol with the natural grace of a horse’s foreleg and head. As viewers rotate the sculpture, they...
Andy Mast cannot recall the horrific 2009 accident that forever changed his life at the age of 17. Nor did anyone else see it happen. Yet, his ordeal ultimately led to his current triumph as an ever-more-widely heralded artist working in the ages-old medium of...
Nancy Seamons Crookston’s colorist paintings overbrim with joy. Working primarily in oils from her plein air studies and reference photos, she captures uplifting moments from the world all around her: children frolicking along the shoreline; horses and riders pausing for refreshment along a Rocky Mountain...
Whitney Gardner was camping and plein air painting last spring at Lost Dutchman State Park east of Phoenix. Before sunset one day, she decided to capture reference photos of the nearby Superstition Mountains, her view punctuated by a solitary saguaro and a blossoming ocotillo. “To...
Scott Baxter brings to his photographs of present-day American ranchers the insights of a scholar, the eyes of an artist, the magic of an alchemist, and the heart of a true friend. The results are images that go far beyond simply portraying their subjects, establishing...
The artists and architects profiled in this issue are tied to an inspiring region. Diverse as they are, they share a desire to document the West, its culture, its beauty, and the individuals who reside here. “Western traditions are still alive and well today,” says Idaho...
Interior designer Barbara Glass was at the airport waiting to board a flight to Paris, and the excitement in her voice was palpable. She planned to attend a French fabric show, then tour London with a group of interior designers on the hunt for the...
Art is a team sport. Perhaps this sounds counterintuitive, but in reality, the cliched vision of the tortured artist working alone in a bleak, drafty studio is a bit more Hollywood than true life. Yes, the seeds of creativity need quiet space to take root,...