Land, Sea & Sky

Meet six artists inspired by the boundless natural world.

 

CLIFF AUSTIN

Where do you live and work?
Having lived in Colorado for most of my life, I have enjoyed hiking and camping in some of the most beautiful locations. I live in Aurora and have my studio there as well.

What aspects of the landscape are you most drawn to?
I really like to paint and photograph streams and river scenes. Fishing in the mountains has led me to wander the streams looking for fish and amazing landscapes for paintings.

What is your creative process like?
Getting out into nature is invigorating and inspirational. I often paint in plein air, but also taking a lot of photographs is a must. This allows me to paint in the studio from those photographs. Sometimes a mashup of skies, mountains and streams create interesting painting compositions.

Where did you study art?
I graduated from Denver Institute of Technology in 1976 and from Rocky Mountain School of art in 1980. I also have taken classes at the Art Students League of Denver.

What have been some of the highlights of your art career?
Having my own studio in Littleton for a few years was a highlight. Teaching classes and work­ shops in watercolor/gouache, oil, pastel and acrylic is rewarding. I also enjoy meeting other artists at plein air events; making friends who have the same mindset; and the lifelong learning from the continuing study of art.

When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing?
My hobbies include photography, playing guitar, gardening, reading and studying art.

Where can collectors find your work?
Mary Williams Fine Arts, Boulder, CO; www.cliffaustin.com

 

BARBARA COLEMAN

Where do you live and work?
I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where there is a variety of captivating subjects within an hour or two from my home. I work both in my studio and painting plein air.

What aspects of the landscape are you most drawn to?
Just about any aspect of the landscape can pull me into an artistic way of thinking. I don’t label objects (trees, rivers, mountains, cliffs), viewing them as intriguing shapes of light and shadow, col­or notes and elements of composition. To paint what I see, I must stop and identify what took my breath away and distill it into one visual idea, the motif.

Where did you study art?
I first studied art in Aix-en-Provence, France, at the Leo Marchutz School of Painting & Drawing and at the University of New Mexico. I have studied extensively with Kevin Macpherson, Scott L. Christensen, Kathryn Stats, Jill Carver, John Poon, Ray Roberts and Peggi Kroll Roberts.

What have been some of the highlights of your art career?
The most meaningful highlights are not accolades, but when I make a discovery and learn something new about creating art. I study and practice in my studio daily. I think I understand some aspect of painting, only to find that I have just barely scratched the surface and whole new avenues of exploration open before me.

When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy many things: reading, being with my family, and having an active life exercising, hiking and camping frequently. I have two dogs that I adore as well.

Where can collectors find your work?
www.barbaracoleman.com

ROBERT E. REYNOLDS

Where do you live and work?
I live in Northern New Mexico in a beautiful little valley with a small river, surrounded by hills dotted with juniper and pinon trees. I often paint near home and in places that I can walk to.

What aspects of the landscape are you most drawn to?
Water is my element. I am captivated by its undulating movement, its transparency, the way it fragments and distorts things, and the reflective play of light across its surface. Water—its movement and sound—can entrance me.

What is your creative process like?
I like to be outside in nature because I want to feel my subject in my body, to feel my inspiration. This directs and informs the dance of laying down the paint. I love to be completely present, lost in the moment when I work.

Where did you study art?
My father, a watercolorist, was my first teacher. I completed a BFA at Colorado State University and a MFA at Visva-Bharati University Santiniketan in West Bengal, India.

What have been some of the highlights of your art career?
Being invited to the Mountain Oyster Club show in Tucson and the sale of four large paintings to a new collector have been highlights of the past year.

When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy spending time with those I love, my family and friends. I like to hike, backpack, canoe, camp, fly fish and travel.

Where can collectors find your work?
Acosta Strong Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM; InSight Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX; K Newby Gallery in Tubac, AZ; Hand Artes Gallery, Truchas, NM; Miranda Fine Art, Denver, CO; www.robertereynolds.com

BETH COLE

Where do you live and work?
I live in Merna, Nebraska, with my husband and our dog, Willow. My art studio is in our home, so it is a short commute.

What aspects of the land­ scape are you most drawn to?
My current favorites are skies and crop lands. I love the warmth of the early morning sky. I also enjoy trees and their peculiarities; they are like the “figure” in the land­ scape. I am interested in exploring old buildings and farms in paint.

What is your creative process like?
Before I start a painting, I experiment with composition and values. If I like the concept, I do a color study to see if it fits for a larger canvas. Ideas mostly come from plein air painting or photos I have taken and altered.

Where did you study art?
I did not go to art school, but I have studied online and in­ person with artists including Scott L. Christensen, Dave Santillanes, Jay Moore, Kim Casebeer and more. I also love studying master painters like Edward Seago, Alexei Savrasov and Isaac Levitan.

What have been some of the highlights of your art career?
The Museum of Nebraska Art chose one of my pieces for a permanent collection last year.

When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing?
I love to read, listen to music, play piano, take daily walks with Willow and hang out with our grown children and grandkids. Where can collectors find your work? Burkholder Project, Lincoln, NE; Brickwalk Gallery, Kearney, NE; Juniper Metalworks, Glenwood, IA; Fine Arts on Fifth, Malvern, IA; www.bethcoleart.com.

 

WILLIAM ROGERS 

Where do you live and work?
I live and work out my studio in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.

What aspects of the landscape are you most drawn to?
I am attracted to the light in the landscape because it is a determiner of the mood and visual message.

What is your creative process like?
I compose what struck me in the land­ scape and simplify by eliminating unnecessary components and details. Once I have the basic design, I do a pencil sketch on watercolor paper. I usually paint the sky, then the darks below before the shadow patterns change, proceeding to larger light and middle value shapes, and finishing with small details and dark accents.

Where did you study art?
I studied art with courses at Acadia and Cape Breton universities as well as a few intensive watercolor workshops in Maine.

What have been some of the highlights of your art career?
Achieving signature status in societies like CSPWC, AWS and TWSA. I’ve won numerous awards includ­ing the CSPWC’s A.J. Casson Medal in 2009. In 2014 I was the official Tour Artist for Prince Charles (now King Charles) and the Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to Canada, following which HRH acquired several works for his collection.

When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing?
I love spending time with friends and my family, including the grandchildren. I also love horses and horseracing, where I sketch and gather references for paintings.

Where can collectors find your work?
Down to Earth Art Gallery, Antigonish, NS; Zwicker’s Gallery, Halifax, NS; Teichert Gallery, Halifax, NS; Flight of Fancy Gallery, Bear River, NS; Colouratura Gallery, Cape Breton, NS; Cape Breton Center for Craft & Design, Sydney, NS; McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD; www.williamrogersart.com.

 

BARBARA SCHILLING

Where do you live and work?
I live in southwest Michigan and work from my in-home studio. The area is known for its four seasons of landscapes, big lakes and beaches.

What aspects of the landscape are you most drawn to?
I’ve always loved the sense of mystery within deep woods. Looking for that space that feels unspoiled, untouched by mankind is perhaps unlikely in this modern, developed world, but one I love to pretend I just might run across.

What is your creative process like?
I use photos or plein air studies for my studio paintings, but do not completely follow my reference. I test the boundaries between realism and abstraction. I paint primarily alla prima and enjoy manipulating textures and colors on the surface.

Where did you study art?
Although, many skilled artists have guided and influenced my art journey, I am mostly self-taught. I believe the study of art should be an evolving lifetime pursuit.

What have been some of the highlights of your art career?
Deciding to retire from my 35-year career as art restorer and conservator gave me the time to devote to my own painting. It was my lifelong dream, and I feel so blessed to finally pursue it.

When you are not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing?
I love hiking and gardening, and my mini Aussie, Reba, is constantly by my side in the studio or on our hikes.

Where can collectors find your work?
Frames Unlimited Galleries, MI and OH; Mary Williams Fine Art, Boulder, CO; Synchronicity Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI; Eisele Gallery of Fine Art, Cincinnati, OH; www.barbaraschilling.com.

This story appeared in the April/May 2023 issue of Southwest Art magazine.

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