Artists of Note | Jeff Love - Southwest Art Magazine

Looking up

Jeff Love, A Shimmering Curtain, oil, 15 x 30.

If you see a man wandering in the western wilderness, looking up at the light and contemplating the beauty of creation, it might well be Jeff Love. The Tucson, AZ, landscape painter uses his time in nature not only to seek subject matter but also to disengage from distractions and prepare his messages as senior pastor of a local church. In particular, the artist can usually be found exploring remote mountain locations along the high-desert regions of southern Arizona, a recurring subject in both his plein-air and studio work.

: Jeff Love, Saguaro Ridge, oil, 10 x 8.

: Jeff Love, Low Alpine Clouds, oil, 16 x 12.

: Jeff Love, Grand and Golden, oil, 10 x 8.

Although Love started painting professionally later in life, he was always creative, studying both fine art and music in college. Looking back, he realizes that not pursuing an art career in his 20s spared him a bit of an identity crisis. “Back then, if someone didn’t like my song or buy my painting, I was floored,” he says. “Now I’m confident that my purpose with painting is to honor God and use it as a vehicle for reaching people. I’m not trying to create some masterpiece—I just want to paint in a way that reflects His divine nature.”

Love says this goal comes through most strongly in his sunset scenes. He describes the spectacular sunsets that he and his family experience almost every night in Arizona as almost too beautiful to be believed. “My paintings don’t even do them justice,” he says. “The incredible colors and light on display above the majestic mountains—they really show what a magnificent artist God is.” –Allison Malafronte