Western landscape painter Steve Latimer will be featuring a new collection of work at Faust Gallery beginning March 17. The new series includes landscape and nature scenes from Latimer’s time spent in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, completed in his distinctive, modernist style. 
Nigh Hawk Canyon, oil, 16 x 16"
Latimer grew up alongside his first cousin Ed Mell, a renowned artist native to Arizona. I wound up following [in his footsteps],” says Latimer, “and my art has developed with him as one of my mentors, along with Georgia O’Keeffe and Maynard Dixon.” One can see the resemblances to all three artists in his body of work, while maintaining his very own look and feel.
Latimer has been a Florida resident for quite some time, but has been back and forth to the West a lot throughout his life. “Although I’m in Florida,” he says, “I am a true Western artist.” In 2019, Mell and Latimer traveled to areas along the Arizona and Utah border for a survey trip to photograph and sketch the lavish canyons, mesas and reservation land. “There’s so much coloring, atmosphere, rocks and shadows” Latimer says. “Ed and I like to call our time in the field ‘chasing shadows.’ The lighting changes so quickly, so your palette can then change in a matter of minutes.”
Red Mesa, Late Day, oil, 12 x 36"
Marble Canyon Shadows, oil, 24 x 36"
One of Latimer’s favorite natural features to experience and capture are the mesas on Navajo land in Northern Arizona, seen in his piece Red Mesa, Late Day. “I’ve painted these mesas nine or 10 times in different perspectives and times of day,” he says. “I’m constantly coming back to the mesas in my painting.” The artist also notes that he wants to “tell a story that is not a photocopy of the actual place. It makes it more interesting when looking at my work. I also try to keep line, perspective and shape arranged in such a way [to help with this.]” 
Canyon Shadows, oil, 24 x 36"
His ability to expertly depict shadow is also of great purpose in communicating the beauty and mood of the region. This is illustrated in Canyon Shadows and Marble Canyon Shadows, both beautifully shadowed scenes of Marble Canyon near Page, Arizona, and the Navajo Bridge. “I was so fascinated with the depth of the canyon,” he says. This area also intersects with the Colorado River and parts of the Grand Canyon.
Latimer’s skill and dedication to the West shines through in this show of new works. While minimal and modernist, each painting is also colorful and striking, perfectly capturing both the peace and grandeur of the Western landscape.
The paintings will hang from March 17 through April 17 at Faust Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. —
Upcoming Show
Up to 10 works
March 17-April 17, 2022
Faust Gallery
7100 E. Main Street, Suite 4, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 200-4290, www.faustgallery.com
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