For a kid growing up in northern England, there was nothing more exotic and intriguing than depictions of the American West. At least that was the case for artist Andrew Bolam, who recalls watching the Lone Ranger and John Wayne and fantasizing about what it would be like to roam amongst buffalos, cowboys and Native Americans. Now, as an adult, this fascination comes to life through his artwork.
They say, “Go big or go home.” And that certainly seems to apply to J. Todd Paxton’s approach to his art. From his monumental statues of Native American warriors to his large-scale patina-on-steel paintings, the sheer scale of his work alone is enough to produce a visceral feeling. But he also uses texture, color and life-like details to tap into human emotion.
Paint where you live. This is a motto artist Jerry Salinas has come to live by and it took a move to the sunny Southwest to shift his perspective. Previously living in Chicago and other dense urban areas much of his life, Jerry’s subject matter often focused on city life. But after moving West, he began to see the rich history and saturated colors that surrounded him…that quickly became his muse.
For Myron Whitaker, art wasn’t ever really on his radar. He already had a career in the corporate world. Out of boredom he enrolled in a ceramics class, and when he started creating, it was as if he tapped into an innate ability––like he discovered something he was meant to be doing all along.
Though Cynthia Downs-Apodaca identifies more as a metalsmith than a jeweler, she says it was a fascination with the natural beauty of stones that attracted her to jewelry making. In many regards, she’s a bit of a stone whisperer––listening to the story each stone has to tell and building her designs around that.
For artist Elizabeth Butler, one of the greatest rewards of creating art is when she can reach a state of flow––when she simply becomes a channel for the expression of art to flow through. In this interview, she shares what that experience is like, how her work has evolved over the years, and how she’s exploring combining metal leaf with her oil paintings.
For Jessamyn Parker, a self-described playful, yet shy kid, abstract art became a way for her to break from the self-imposed boundaries and limitations.
Artist Shannon Leigh has always been drawn to the West and when she reconnected with her Western roots and her passion for the linear forms of architecture, a style of painting emerged that quickly became her calling card of sorts.
When mixed media artist Tim Weldon began creating art, he started to see the world through heightened senses. Suddenly, everything around him––flowers, stones, colors, people––was rich with story, texture and character. And he saw himself as a conduit for sharing these stories through his art.
Artist Beth Zink has become well known for her vibrant paintings of desert sunsets, and flora and fauna, but happening upon the bold color palette that has become synonymous with her name was a bit of a fluke. See how she developed this iconic style and what she loves most about art.
