Painting of the Day, December 25, 2011

Brian Kershisnik, Nativity ©, 2006, oil on canvas, 88 x 204 in. Credit: Brian Kershisnik

Detail. Brian Kershisnik, Nativity ©, 2006, oil on canvas, 88 x 204 in. Credit: Brian Kershisnik

Detail 2. Brian Kershisnik, Nativity ©, 2006, oil on canvas, 88 x 204 in. Credit: Brian Kershisnik

Painting of the Day, December 24, 2011

By Donna Poulton

Charles Russell knew how to create a cold winter scene in the Montana mountains he knew so well.  The violets and graduating blues in the mountains, icicles hanging from the roof of a log cabin and the radiant warmth of the interior make this a scene I’d like to walk into.  Titled Christmas Meat, this is one of many Christmas images Russell painted over the years.

Charles Russell, Christmas Meat, 1915, Watercolor on paper, 26 x 34 in. Credit: The Athenaeum.com

Painting of the Day, December 21, 2011

By Donna Poulton

Brad Aldridge, Twilight Valley, oil, 60 x 96 in. Credit: Courtesy of the Artist

The charm in the painting Twilight Valley comes not only from the bird’s-eye-view overlooking lush central Utah farmland, but also in the small contrasts along the creek bed and the road. Brad Aldridge’s ambitious large-scale composition successfully incorporates a deep focus of the wide valley floor with graduated values drawing the eye easily along the long narrow road to the distant hills. Twilight Valley is hanging in the permanent collection of the Utah State Capitol.

Painting of the Day, December 20, 2011

By Donna Poulton

“I believe images of the American West are as iconic as the Statue of Liberty. These spectacular vistas are so familiar to us.  They’re intrinsic to how we see and think of ourselves as Americans.” – David Jonason

David Jonason, Colorado Bridge, oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in. Credit: Michael Hollis Fine Art

I’m a sucker for clouds, the kind that swell to monstrous proportions on the low horizons of the western landscape. In David Jonason’s contemporary cubist depiction Colorado Bridge, the enormous bridge is used for scale. The bridge, often the center of attention for tourists because of its span and height, is dwarfed by the ominous cloud Jonason has created by breaking the lines to create depth, tension and power.

Painting of the Day, December 19, 2011

By Donna Poulton

Jason Rich, C.A., Back to Pasture, c. 2011, oil, 36 x 48 in. Credit: Legacygallery.com

Having grown up on a horse farm in southern Idaho, Jason Rich understands the temperament and movement of working horses. His paintings are characterized by rich impasto and he is not afraid to use luminous color and contrasts to capture the mood of the land. His loose-edged, painterly technique allows him to depict motion and action among the animals and men that often dominate his compositions. Rich has won numerous awards and is recognized as a major emerging western artist.