Tim Deibler in His Studio

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to visit Tim Deibler in his studio overlooking the Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado.
I tagged along with Tracy Miller of the Tracy Miller Gallery in Manitou Springs, as she interviewed Tim for a feature on her gallery website.

I met Tim a few years back when we showed together at Art for the Sangres in Westcliffe, CO - and I was excited to just
be a "fly on the wall" -
Ha!

Turned out to be more of a party;
Tim’s relaxed style belies his amazing work ethic and we could have chatted the morning away gawking at his art collection, his HUGE art library and his stockpile of what looked like thousands of stacked plein air paintings. He let it fall rather casually that he really didn’t market the plein air work so much but saw it as the path to improving his work. That, being his goal as a professional painter- and his “job” everyday -  to improve the work
- and the right people will find it.
And so they have: Tim has authored a wonderful book on landscape painting  “Capturing the Seasons in Oil” and you can see his work in places like the Brown Hotel in Denver where a huge mountain aspen scene dominates the front desk area. He was also featured as the cover artist for the 2014  L.L.Bean Christmas Catalog. You cannot BUY advertising like that.
Faith is a guiding principal in Tim’s life and work, and his gentle and generous outlook seem to flow naturally from it.
This weekend the 13th annual “Representing the West” Show opened at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center and Tim’s huge sunset over the Spanish Peaks is the piece that opens the show- it is a stunner.
See more photos and read the interview in it’s entirety at studio-visit-with-tim-deibler.

So, What's It ABOUT?

This question has been plaguing me recently and, I in turn, have tortured my students with it: What is the painting ABOUT? This piece at the right, I did at the class paint out last week in Alamosa and I hope will still hold up after you read my thoughts:
A few weeks back at the PAAC Show (Plein Air Artists of Colorado) in Denver (great show by the way), Sue McCullough and I had the chance to talk at length with Karen Vance about how she judged the show. She told us her first criteria was that very thing: What is the painting about? - brushwork, imagery, color. . .
A week later, at the SPACe Gallery in LaVeta, I spoke with Tim Deiber who judged the Paint Colorado show and our conversation about the work focused on that same topic.

Now, this is not rocket science, if you have painted for any length of time the idea is not a foreign one. We have been schooled to have a "center of attention" at least, but why is the concept so elusive or more to the point - how do so many accomplished artists seem to miss it. Those of us who should know better?
I would site a wonderful example of this idea, as it emerged in a painting demo done by Eldon Warren showing the choices that must be made, to make the point oh-so-clear - THIS is what it is ABOUT.
Click on Eldon's name to see his BLOG and when you get there scroll down a bit to - "Why Did the People Cross the Road?".
This seemingly innocuous demo of a beautiful landscape just hit me over the head. Why? Because it illustrates (we artists need pictures) so well, what happens to almost all of us, at some point. Eldon is a friend and master painter - and I don't think it happens to him as often, as the blog will show.
I encourage you to check it out - and if you are scratching your head - ask yourself this: what is the painting ABOUT? - this, that, what?
In the end I hope it is clear "Why The People Crossed the Road".
Thanks Eldon.

Merit Award at PAINT COLORADO

Winning is always fun! My "Zapata Aspens" took a Merit Award at the PAINT COLORADO Show that opened in LaVeta on Saturday night.
Tim Deibler, noted Colorado painter, judged the show and was at the reception, which certainly added something special to the evening.
Tim is an astute critic and teacher, and was willing to talk about our pieces - if we wanted to hear. Having your work "criticized" may not sound like fun, but having a master/painter and judge tell you exactly why your painting worked, or not - SO worth it.
For me, this was the highlight, and most valuable part of the evening.
As an aside, we did not talk about this piece, but my other entry, "PileUp on LaVeta". Tim Deibler was also a Juror for the PAAC Show that opened at the Abend Gallery in Denver last weekend. He looked at over 300 paintings entered in that show, remembered mine, and could speak directly and knowledgeably about them. Thanks Tim.