This issue of Western Art & Architecture calls to mind an essay by poet Mary Oliver. While contemplating the creative life in “Of Power and Time,” Oliver writes that art differs from other careers, because one cannot regulate the “machinery of creativity.” Painting is not...
For most of us, the town of Pasadena, California, is synonymous with the Rose Bowl and its legendary Tournament of Roses Parade, the exquisitely colorful annual extravaganza held every New Year’s Day. The intricately designed floats are decorated with thousands of vibrant flowers and organic...
Two Hills Studio, an architectural fixture design company, has been in business for 31 years. This year, Scott Gross found his calling when he bought the company from founder Britt Medford. “Britt was an architect and recognized a need for fixtures that he couldn’t find anywhere,...
George H. Jones paints large and loud. His standard size is 4 by 5 feet. His longhorn cattle, cows, and wildlife from his native Texas fill up a room with wild, loose, bold, lively color and plenty of personality. [caption id="attachment_16719" align="alignleft" width="239"] "Early Morning Drink"...
Jamie Okuma has been making art of one kind or another since she was a child. Her process varies from project to project, and from day to day. “While I’m working on one thing, I’m thinking about what to do next,” Okuma says. “Whatever piques my...
Michelle Osman’s skyscapes center around the transformational nature of clouds conveying an expansive horizon and the turbulent presence of the unknown. “I work from photographs, because each painting takes a couple of months, and I love the specificity of the clouds I paint,” Osman says. “For...
The installation of artist Armond Lara’s 75 winged blue buffalo, cast in resin and hand-finished, feels like a lost herd cresting above the horizon, their silenced, thundering voices, muffled for centuries, at last audible to history. Inspired by his family’s experiences, Lara’s most recent project speaks...
Lightsculpture by William Leslie When you learn that William Leslie grew up in Southern California and loved to surf, you tend to look at his “Lightsculptures” in a new way. Reminiscent of light shining through a wave during the “magic hour” of the day, his pieces...
Most art collectors remember their first purchase with the same clarity and emotion that they remember their first date with their spouse, or first kiss. Plunking down a wad of cash, which for many young professionals is their first disposable income, for a piece of...
Singular pieces from high-profile, private collections sold swiftly and well at a series of auctions of American art by Sotheby’s and Christie’s. The latter auction house generated buzz with a beautifully rendered painting by Thomas Hart Benton of the U.S. Southwest and its peoples. Navajo Sand...