In this edition of the Artful Painter, I have the privilege of talking with s. m. chavez (Sean Michael Chavez). He is a native New Mexican artist known for his rich contemporary-western oil paintings that celebrate both the culture and landscape of the American Southwest. Born and raised in New Mexico, his work reflects a deep connection to the region's history and culture. Chavez is especially known for his depictions of vaqueros – figures that are deeply rooted in Southwestern and Hispanic history. Vaquero is Spanish for "cowboys."
Chavez's soothing color palette of beautiful grays and muted colors, coupled with strong design skills honed from his background in illustration come together to allow him to bring his figures and landscapes alive. His distinctive voice blends traditional Western art influences with a refreshingly contemporary approach.
It's no surprise then that Chavez has caught the eye of collectors of contemporary Western art. His work has been exhibited at major venues such as The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Albuquerque Museum of Art, The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, The Couse-Sharp Historic Site, and The Briscoe Western Art Museum, and soon the Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale of January 2026.
In this engaging interview, s. m. chavez shares insights into his artistic journey, discussing the influence of his New Mexico roots and the historical narratives that shape his work. He reflects on the challenges and joys of being an artist, the importance of authenticity, and the role of literature and history in his creative process (a word you will hear Chavez use frequently in our discussion). Chavez also touches on the balance between commercial success and artistic integrity, and the evolving nature of his career.
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Doug & Susie Haugen - There's a Story Behind Every Painting
Épisode 74
mardi 21 octobre 2025 • Durée 01:02:06
In each episode of The Artful Painter, the tagline (or show description) is: "Art lessons for artists, collectors, and people who love art." However, most of the episodes published so far have focused on artists and their stories. It's time to switch that up a bit and focus on collectors. In this episode I converse with two wonderful people I met a few years ago at a workshop hosted by the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. They are: Doug and Susie Haugen, art lovers who have a passion for art, art collecting, and forging friendships with living artists whose works adorn their walls in their Ackworth, Georgia, home.
Whether you are a collector or artist, you will be inspired by the Haugen's enthusiasm for supporting today's living artists. To me, one of the primary take-aways from this conversation is the importance of cultivating connections and friendships with artists and others who love art. Visiting artists in their homes, visiting galleries, and going to art shows are all a part of their joy of collecting. The bonds of friendship with living artists become an important part of the story behind each painting they display in their home.
In this episode of The Artful Painter, I have the privilege of engaging in a heartfelt conversation with Doug and Susie Haugen about their journey becoming avid art collectors. They discuss the growth of their collection, the significance of Western art (both traditional and contemporary), and the personal connections and friendships they've formed with artists. The Haugens share stories of their favorite pieces, the artists they've met, and the meaningful experiences that have shaped their collection.
Cozy up with your earbuds and a cup of coffee and listen to Doug and Susie's inspiring story. This one will make you smile.
Ariana Richards delights in expressing her creativity in both painting and acting. Encouraged by her family at an early age, she developed an intense interest in the arts. She developed her painting skills even though as a young child she was busy acting. Ariana has appeared in over 30 movies and television shows – including portraying the young computer wizard Lex in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. She went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts and Drama at Skidmore College. Her painting skills earned her the honor of being one of the youngest artists to become a member of the California Art Club. She is also a member of the Portrait Society of America.
Ariana's creative roots in the arts can be traced to one of her early ancestors: Renaissance painter Carlo Crivelli who lived during the 1400s. With a deep respect for the old masters and a keen appreciation of the Impressionists, Ariana has developed her own sensitive, expressive voice that is an amalgamation of both worlds. Her beautiful portraits gently capture a fleeting gesture of the subject. Her landscapes and seascapes encapsulate the beauty and light of a moment in time. The gorgeous result of Ariana Richard's finely honed creative voice is Poetic Realism.
Robert Henri's book The Art Spirit inevitably makes it in any artist's top ten artbook recommendations.
As passionate students of Art, we know Robert Henri. His paintings make up an extraordinary body of work. He is considered the "father" of the Ashcan School - a loose alliance of artists whose approach to painting had more in common with journalism than stuffy, academic Traditionalism. Henri taught in many art schools. By some estimates, he taught more than a thousand students – including Edward Hopper and George Bellows. He was universally beloved as a teacher by his students. Today we continue to benefit from his teaching preserved in the pages of The Art Spirit.
We have one of Henri's students to thank for preserving Henri's teaching: Margery Ryerson. She compiled a collection of his lecture notes, letters, and commentary together into the inspirational book The Art Spirit. It continues to be a valuable source of instruction and inspiration nearly 100 years after it was first published in 1923. The original text entered the public domain in 2019. What a remarkable gift!
Scott L. Christensen must paint - it is core to his very being. His keen eye and probing curiosity of nature reveal a deep love of not just being outdoors – but, rather, immersed in it with all senses engaged. His response to the landscape is visceral. He wants the viewer to feel a deep emotional connection with the landscape. The viewer is not a mere passing observer of a Christensen painting, but is also a participant in the scene – curious, seeking answers to their own internal questions.
Nature's beauty presents a cacophony of options. This excites Scott – he looks forward to the process of problem-solving and experimentation that long precedes making the first mark of a painting. Outdoor painting is just the beginning of the process. Developing ideas is fundamental to Scott's approach. Through this process of ideation, Scott seeks to find the key of a painting just as a composer decides the key of a song. It's a process that Scott Christensen appropriately likens to Managing Chaos.
Britt Snyder focuses on capturing memories and feelings on canvas. Though influenced by late 19th century impressionism, Britt's paintings are clearly a modern take of impressionistic figurative, still life, and landscape painting. His portrayal of the human figure resembles a character who once inhabited our dreams of the night, and now their features slowly dissolve from our waking memory.
His paintings reference classical painting, photography and pop culture with an emphasis on capturing and presenting moments in time and presenting the core essence of the portrayed subject. Just as a film director of a feature film uses the concept of the "wandering eye" in a shot – a view of the actor's eyes without revealing what the actor sees – Britt invokes a similar feeling of curiosity and mystery in his paintings. We want to know what his subject sees and feels. We are left with questions as his figure glances beyond the edge of the canvas. When you view one of Britt Snyder's paintings, you begin to hear in your mind the music of life, and in the periphery of your vision you discern that there is A Sense of Something More.
Frank Serrano's paintings have a sense of atmospheric depth that seem to extend far beyond the two dimensional surface of a canvas. As you look at one of his Western landscape paintings, it's as if you can feel the summer heat enveloping California's Owens Valley. You feel a breeze gently tugging at your soul as you gaze in awe upon the purple glow of the fading light of the setting sun cast upon the immense Eastern Sierras. This is Edgar Payne country.
Inspired by Payne as well as artists Sam Hyde Harris, Frank Tenney Johnson, Maynard Dixon and others, Frank's paintings reflect his own developed style filled with incredible passion that beautifully capture the dramatic atmosphere and stunning light that infuses the vast landscape of the West. Frank says that painting on location enriches his life. His paintings do not exist as mere pictures. They are like a cinematic film that stirs your heart with a deep emotional response to the story that unfolds before you of the epic Western landscape and the people who inhabit its vast spaces.
Years of outdoor painting has honed Frank's sensitivity to the landscape. Frank Serrano's keen sense of observation and heartfelt emotional response to the Western landscape enable him to paint not only the scene before him, but also The Air Between Things.
Kevin Kehoe began his remarkable career as a fine art painter just a little over eight years ago. Though he had attended Art Institute of Boston, it would be another 30 years before he would pick up his paint brushes again. With the loving support of his wife, he abandoned a successful career in advertising to pursue fine art painting full time.
Kevin refers to himself as a painter with a camera. However, his thoughtfully composed photos are merely a jumping off point for his exquisite, expansive paintings that stir the heart. His goal is not to simply render a photo into a painting. Rather, Kevin seeks to express his subject matter – as he puts it – "like an emotionally conjured image." His paintings are about how he wants to recall a moment in time in his mind and heart.
Struck by the epic and awe-inspiring vistas of the American West, his paintings often capture the wonder and wanderlust of the West. Kevin says of the West: "In short, it's where you lose yourself to find yourself… The West is good medicine." Indeed, in this stress-filled world, Kevin Kehoe's magnificent paintings are just the right prescription and dosage we need of Western Therapy.
Leica V-Lux 5 20MB Superzoom Digital Camera with 25-400mm f/2.8-4 ASPH Lens: (paid link)
Denise LaRue Mahlke - A Sense of Peace (59)
Épisode 59
mardi 8 juin 2021 • Durée 01:01:01
Denise LaRue Mahlke paints with soft pastels - which are to her the purest form of artist color. Unfettered with complicated materials, she is free to respond spontaneously to the unfolding spectacle of the big skies and ancient geology of the American West.
I first saw her beautiful, atmospheric pastel works of art in person at the Booth Museum. It was at a show called Painting Red Rocks Country, Past and Present. Her work was displayed alongside the works of G. Russell Case, Matt Smith, and Ray Roberts.
Denise says "Painting allows me to communicate the celebratory beauty of God's creation." As we view Denise Mahlke's sensitive paintings, we cannot help but be touched by her deep reverence. The result: we are rewarded with a sense of peace.
Eric Bowman could never have imagined the path his life would take for him to become a fine art painter. He wanted to go to art school but the prospect of spending two years in a junior college taking courses that had nothing to do with art - well, that was something he couldn't stomach. And so began a surprising journey with many side trips and destination stops and the serendipitous meeting of people who would forever shape the way he creates art today.
In this edition of the Artful Painter, Eric talks about his choice of subject to paint: often a solitary figure or two situated in a vast, cinematic landscape. He talks about his Quonset studio, his design and painting processes, and tells us about the unexpected encounters with people who would influence his path to painting fine art.
As you listen to his remarkable journey on becoming a painter, you will be enthralled by Eric Bowman Following a Circuitous Path.
This page may contain affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This page may contain affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This page may contain affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This page may contain affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This page may contain affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This page may contain affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This page may contain affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This page may contain affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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