William Acheff, Full Moon Over the Pueblos, oil, 20 x 36.
Reflecting back on his storied career in fine art, William Acheff says he received some valuable advice when he was a young artist that still echoes in his head today. In 1969, his teacher and mentor, Roberto Lupetti, counseled, “It doesn’t matter what you sell your paintings for, but that you develop and grow.”
Acheff is well known in the western art world for elegant still lifes that pay homage to Native American artifacts, history, and culture. A signature Acheff tableau features the arresting shapes and designs of hand-painted Indian pots, beaded slippers, an Indian blanket, or a feather headdress, as well as an image of a vintage photograph or painting in the background. The objects together evoke a certain calming, mystical sensibility. “I have always been interested in the universal, underlying spiritual aspects that are relevant in today’s world as well as in the past,” he says. The award-winning artist has regularly participated in an impressive array of juried shows such as Prix de West Invitational and the Masters of the American West show.
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- William Acheff, Germantown Red, oil, 30 x 26.
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- William Acheff, Where the Buffalo Roamed, oil, 8 x 10
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- William Acheff, Praying for the Return, oil, 10 x 7.
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- William Acheff, Summer Camping, oil, 9 x 7.
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- William Acheff, High Road Home, oil, 12 x 10.
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- William Acheff, Protecting the Elders, oil, 34 x 26.
Most recently he has been taking Lupetti’s advice and exploring new avenues of creativity. “Some ideas I have held onto for 40 to 50 years, and now I am exploring them,” he says. The artist is quick to note that he is not abandoning still lifes, but he is working on incorporating more figures and landscapes into them, creating a different visual experience. “After so many years, I don’t want to just keep painting the same arrangements,” Acheff says simply. He is represented by Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ; Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, NM; Trailside Galleries, Jackson, WY; and Saks Galleries, Denver, CO. —Bonnie Gangelhoff
This story appeared in the May 2021 issue of Southwest Art magazine.