Image of the Day, February 7, 2012

By Donna Poulton

Born in 1860 in Bozanquit, Canada, Alexander Phimister Proctor moved to Denver in 1871 when it was still a frontier town.  He studied painting and sculpture in New York and Paris, where he received wide acclaim, but ultimately he missed the west so much that he moved back in 1915. One of his most famous works is the Bronco Buster seen here at the Denver Civic center.

Credit: wikimedia

Painting of the Day, January 5, 2012

By Donna Poulton

"I used to try to control everything but now I allow my intuition to speak more.  I try to stretch the truth of what the actual image is.  I never wind up with a real representation.  I do things that are recognizable, yes, but I have a much different intention." – Len Chmiel

Len Chmiel, An Afternoon to Enjoy, oil, 21 x 32 in. Credit: Len ChmielColorado artist Len Chmiel continues to attract the attention of the most important collectors and galleries in the west. Considered an artists’ artist, he is a master of color and design. In his painting, An Afternoon to Enjoy, the real and the ideal have been combined with sharp contrasts of light and darks to depict this layered winterscape.  This painting is currently on exhibition at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.

Credit: lenchmiel.com. Hardcover, 200 pages, 150 color plates, $65.00 retail, Release date: December 2011, Distributed by University of New Mexico Press