For rafters on the Colorado
River, the geologic splendor of the Grand Canyon rises at
times a mile above them. The canyon’s inner gorge opens and
closes, revealing and concealing sweeping vistas of towering
cliffs, buttes and mesas. Floating downstream is a multihued
descent through a North American geologic timeline.
The descent can also be sweltering. Arrival at the tapeats’
ledges represents the chance to get out of the beating sun
and enjoy some cool shade. This layer of the Canyon was
formed nearly half a billion years ago when Cambrian Seas
covered the American southwest. Its exposure by the
relentless, erosive force of the Colorado is a godsend to
the river-borne tourist.
There is no vista more
essentially American than the Grand Canyon, and no painter
better suited for it than Curt Walters, who Southwest Art
magazine recently declared "…conquers the Grand Canyon."
With a growing pile of awards from the most prestigious
exhibitions in the country—the Masters of the American West,
the Prix de West and the Quest for the West, to name a
few—Curt Walters has the best seat in the house as, brush in
hand, he welcomes us into the majesty of the Grand Canyon.
"When winter cold fronts approach the Grand Canyon from the
northwest," says Walters, "many days remain overcast and
frigid. But there is a magical time in the late afternoon
when the sun drifts below the cloud bank and its rays burst
through the cheerless gray like a spotlight. Suddenly, the
grand earthen temples are aglow in color, their rugged
shapes so ornately defined. Suddenly Aglow was inspired from
a moment just like that. I wish everyone could have an
opportunity to see the Grand Canyon in a similar way."
Fine Art Master Work Giclée
Canvas hand signed by the artist
Is it
wise to introduce one of the most renowned painters of
the Grand Canyon as a Greenwich Workshop artist with a
Rocky Mountain landscape? It is if you want to make the
point that he is a landscape artist of the first order,
no matter what his subject may be. Certainly the good
folks at The Eiteljorg Museum’s Quest for the West Art
Show and Sale would agree. Walters won both the Patrons’
Choice Award and the Victor Higgins Award of Distinction
at their event in 2007 with September Afternoon at Lake O’Hara.
Fine Art Master Work Giclée
Canvas hand signed by the artist
