Museums hold some of the world’s most treasured stories, but what makes an exhibition truly memorable? Hear from Western Spirit Museum’s chief curator and the president of Scottsdale Arts as they reveal what goes into creating compelling, dynamic museum experiences.
Videos
Meet the Artist: Michael Paul captures the soul of the American West
For art photographer Michael Paul, it started as a love affair with American history, specifically the American West, then evolved into capturing and retelling its story through the eye of the lens. Over the past 15 years, Michael has traveled nearly 30,000 miles annually, capturing the unfolding of this story––its beauty and its truth.
Meet the Artist: Erica Iman forms art from raw, earthen materials
Erica Iman’s sculptural vessels, paintings and ceramic wall pieces go miles beyond the visual surface. They feel rooted or deeply connected to the earth somehow. They evoke a sense of calm and peace, perhaps because they are made of the very materials from which we all originated: Earth.
Art Discovery: Eye of the Lens
Whether urban scenes, sweeping vistas, or plant and animal life, fine art photographers have a way of capturing the emotion of the moment. Learn how photographers Michael Paul and Gray McQuarrie use patience, timing, lighting, exposure and composition combined with technical skills to tell powerful stories frozen in time.
Art Discovery: Be Still
Still life art, which depicts mostly inanimate subject matter, has been a prominent art form for centuries. Objects may be natural, like food, flowers or plants, or manmade, such as glasses, books or collectible items. Color, composition and light play a key role in the message of a still life. Discover what inspires artists Barbara Rudolph and Graydon Foulger to carry on this timeless tradition.
Meet the Artist: How a Childhood Fascination Inspires Andrew Bolam’s Subject Matter
For a kid growing up in northern England, there was nothing more exotic and intriguing than depictions of the American West. At least that was the case for artist Andrew Bolam, who recalls watching the Lone Ranger and John Wayne and fantasizing about what it would be like to roam amongst buffalos, cowboys and Native Americans. Now, as an adult, this fascination comes to life through his artwork.
Meet the Artist: How J. Todd Paxton Uses Scale to Evoke Emotion
They say, “Go big or go home.” And that certainly seems to apply to J. Todd Paxton’s approach to his art. From his monumental statues of Native American warriors to his large-scale patina-on-steel paintings, the sheer scale of his work alone is enough to produce a visceral feeling. But he also uses texture, color and life-like details to tap into human emotion.
Meet the Artist: How Jerry Salinas Brings Color to Western Art
Paint where you live. This is a motto artist Jerry Salinas has come to live by and it took a move to the sunny Southwest to shift his perspective. Previously living in Chicago and other dense urban areas much of his life, Jerry’s subject matter often focused on city life. But after moving West, he began to see the rich history and saturated colors that surrounded him…that quickly became his muse.
Art Discovery: The New Old West
Modern Western art…can it be? Indeed it can! Meet the artists who are introducing a vibrant, modernist twist on art of the West. This week, artists Shannon Leigh, Jerry Salinas and Ray Tigerman will share how they use color, style and subject matter to ‘break the rules’ to create a distinctive take on Western art.
Meet the Artist: Myron Whitaker Find Freedom and Joy in Clay
For Myron Whitaker, art wasn’t ever really on his radar. He already had a career in the corporate world. Out of boredom he enrolled in a ceramics class, and when he started creating, it was as if he tapped into an innate ability––like he discovered something he was meant to be doing all along.