I am an Arizona landscape painter and art teacher

Hello and welcome to my website! My new paintings are focused on developing greater realism as I continue to explore the myriad possibilities of the western landscape. With my work, I hope to capture the beauty and mystery of the southwest's terrain. Having grown up in Arizona and traveled the southwest; the soaring vistas, plateaus, and mountain regions sit within my soul. My paintings have always been inspired by this beauty. I love the light of the west as well as the way the clouds pile up on a summer afternoon, threatening a dark monsoon storm. I hope these paintings bring you joy, peace, and contemplation. It is so wonderful to be an Arizona artist!

Long ago, I heard a Museum exhibition designer describe himself as being, “manually compulsive,” a term that I like and think fits with my own persona. I work with my hands and value those things finely crafted by hand. The handmade thing connects the owner with the maker and with humanity in general. There is something divine in it, especially in a world of mass production and planned obsolescence. Painting is an old tradition, with one artwork made by hand at a time - and made to last. I have spent my life honing the skills of painting, from old master techniques to contemporary theory and ideas. Each painting presents a new challenge and a new adventure. The joy of painting is the fact that one can paint well into old age and still have so much to learn about this art-form.

Welcome to my website.
-Bruce Black