Articles & Interviews

Here you’ll find art articles and art interviews on some of your favorite painters and sculptors of the West as well as upcoming artists. The editors of Southwest Art bring you in-depth art interviews and profiles, as well as behind-the-scenes tours of beautiful art studios and stories about current art events. Search for artists we’ve covered in the past, or discover new and emerging artists by checking back often to see the art articles we’ve added most recently!

Artistic Excellence 2012 | Meet the Finalists

Neal Philpott, Last Hour, oil, 20 x 30.

Each year we receive thousands of entries for our Artistic Excellence competition. Round after round, we whittle them down until only three top winners and 10 honorable mentions remain. But beyond these 13, we receive many works that are dynamic, expressive, and skillfully executed. Here we present a sampling of the 70 artists who made it to our final round.

Emerging Artist | David Grossmann

David Grossmann, Across the Dusk and Winter, oil, 12 x 16 .

Painting visual poems

Emerging Artist | April Raber

April Raber, Birdbath, oil, 8 x 16.

Man-made beauty

Artistic Excellence 2012

Nathan Solano, 6 Below, Christmas Eve Morning, 2011, oil, 20 x 30.

Meet the 13 artists who came out on top in our annual art competition.

Artistic Excellence 2012 | Santiago Michalek

Santiago Michalek, It’s Time, oil, 48 x 48.

2nd Place: Santiago Michalek, Utah

Artistic Excellence 2012 | Eric Bowman

Eric Bowman, Iron Maiden, oil, 16 x 20.

Honorable Mention: Eric Bowman, Oregon

Artistic Excellence 2012 | Micaiah Hardison

Micaiah Hardison, Surf Lesson, oil, 15 x 30.

Honorable Mention: Micaiah Hardison, California

Artistic Excellence 2012 | Cecile Baird

Cecile Baird, Beauty So Deep, It Makes You Weep, colored pencil, 14 x 20.

Honorable Mention: Cecile Baird, Ohio

Artistic Excellence 2012 | Cynthia Feustel

Cynthia Feustel, Green Hanbok, oil, 36 x 18.

Honorable Mention: Cynthia Feustel, Colorado

Artistic Excellence 2012 | Mark Boedges

Mark Boedges, Spinning Out of the Green, oil, 18 x 24.

Honorable Mention: Mark Boedges, Vermont