Artist Opening / Creative Mixer

Join us for the opening reception of “Horses to Hummingbirds,” by Joe Horvath, featuring 18 oil paintings of animals large and small. 

Artist Statement My current work is wildlife in oils. I most often paint the larger animals, often focusing on their interaction with their natural habitats. Recently, I have started to pay more attention to the personalities of smaller animals, too. When I encounter an animal, I make eye contact and we evaluate each other. I try to show that mutual perception in my work. In my work, I see animals emerge as individuals, my paintings as portraiture.

Biography The Air Force took me all over the United States, but it was my time in the West that most captured my imagination. My years in the Rocky Mountains, spending time in the high country and wilderness, provided a deep bond with animals and helped me tune to nature’s rhythms. I spend a lot of time photographing, sketching and painting my impressions of the natural environment. Teaching middle school and high school science, math, and art left me some of my summer each year to paint and frame my work for shows in Montana and Colorado, and once to serve as a docent at the Great Falls home and studio of Charles M. Russell. My paintings have been exhibited in Helena, Montana, and in a number of locations in Colorado (Fort Collins, Denver, Florence, Alamosa, Monte Vista, and Westcliffe). Some of my paintings and photographs are also currently available as greeting cards.