Labor & Craftmaking
"Restocking"
Dianne Massey Dunbar (oil, 30” x 20”)
Thomas Blackshear II is one of the leading contemporary artists of the American West.
After graduating in 1977 from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Blackshear initially worked as an illustrator for Hallmark Card Company and then as head illustrator at Godbold/Richter Studio. In 1982, he became a freelance illustrator with prestigious clients like Disney, George Lucas Studios, National Geographic, and Universal Pictures.
Blackshear is the illustrator of 30 US postage stamps, including the stamp book collection commemorating Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1995, he established Ebony Visions, which is the top-selling American firm in black figurine collectibles. In 2006, he unveiled his portrait of Pope John Paul II during his solo show at the Vatican. Blackshear’s illustrations and paintings have won numerous awards, and in 2020 he was inducted into the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame.
Blackshear is represented by Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs and Trailside Galleries in Jackson, Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona, and Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles.
For more information on African American cowboys, see this Smithsonian article and this Library of Congress blog entry. There is currently a traveling museum exhibition on “Black Cowboys: An American Story.”
A native of China and graduate of the Guangzhou Fine Art Institute, Benjamin Wu moved to the United States in 1986, where he earned his MFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Much of Wu’s figurative work depicts genre scenes of China or the historical American West, including the featured “Heading for the Gold!”
Wu’s art has been showcased in several art magazines and garnered awards, such as “Best in Show” at the Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art in 2011 and the Silver Award at the West Select exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum in 2013.
Wu is represented by Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs.
Chinese immigrants played an important role in the American West, though they were often maligned and mistreated. For more, see “The Chinese-American Experience, 1857-1892.”
"Heading for the Gold!"
By Benjamin Wu (oil, 48” x 72”)
"Rodeo Poster"
By Thomas Blackshear II (oil on canvas, 31” x 43”)
Although Dianne Massey Dunbar began painting in childhood, and won an art school scholarship, she tabled an art career. Years later, in 1994, she entered the Art Students League of Denver and in five years became a professional artist.
Massey Dunbar is a patient, meticulous painter, known for her skilled rendering of small, complex shapes of everyday objects, such as bottles, cans, and tableware. Her exteriors include convincing depictions of raindrops on windows and other surfaces. She also has a series on laborers, such as the painting featured here of a grocery store worker.
Massey Dunbar has participated in many juried exhibitions, such as the American Masters in New York City, and in 2010 was honored by the historic Byers-Evans House in Denver with a solo show, “Painting the Ordinary.” She is the recipient of numerous awards, such as the Western Art & Architecture Award of Excellence at the 2021 Coors Western Art Exhibit and Best of Show at the 2007 Oil Painters of America Central Regional Exhibition. Her work has appeared in leading art magazines, such as American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, and Southwest Art.
Massey Dunbar is represented by Gallery 1261 in Denver, Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs, and Edward Montgomery Fine Art in Carmel, California.
"The Poultry Merchant"
By James Crandall (oil, 30” x 24”)
A graduate of UCLA (1977) and the Art Center College of Design (1981) in Pasadena, California, artist James Crandall was a concept illustrator for the movie and advertising industries before focusing on traditional painting. He is known for depicting people in everyday situations of work or play, capturing their natural gestures as well as the interplay of light on surfaces.
Crandall is one of the most honored representational artists today. Recent awards include First Place in the Boldbrush Competition for October 2022 (judged by Calvin Liang); First Place, Master Class, in the ArtMuse Contest for October 2018 (judged by Carol Marine);and an Award of Excellence, Master Division, at the 2017 Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition. He is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society and a Master Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America.
Crandall is represented by Howard/Mandville Gallery in Woodville, Washington; Jack Meier Gallery in Houston, Texas; and Reinhart Fine Art in Charleston, South Carolina.
"Approaching Storm: Broccoli Harvest” By Warren Chang (oil on canvas, 30” x 40”, 2009)
Artist Warren Chang is a contemporary realist focusing on figurative work, and is particularly known for his paintings of fieldworkers, comparable to 19th-century paintings of laborers like “The Gleaners” (1857) by Jean-Francois Millet. Chang’s studio self-portraits with fellow artists follows a long tradition, including Henri Fantin-Latour’s “A Studio at Le Batignolles” (1870).
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Chang’s paintings are in the permanent collection of the Hilbert Museum of Art in Orange (CA) and the Monterey Museum of Art (CA), and he has had solo exhibitions at the Butler Institute of America Art (OH), the Monterey Museum of Art, the New Museum Los Gatos (CA), and the Triton Museums of Art in Santa Clara (CA). He is a Master Signature member of the Oil Painters of America and teaches at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Chang is represented by Hauk Fine Art in Pacific Grove and Winfield Gallery Carmel-by-the-Sea, both in California. His online interviews include with the Art Classes Studios Workshop and the Artists Network.
“Where Fortunes Are Made”
by Jacob Dhein (oil on linen, 18” x 24”, 2012)
Artist Jacob Dhein specializes in figurative paintings and cityscapes, with his work evolving over the years from the realist style depicted in the featured “Where Fortunes Are Made” in a more impressionistic direction. His current goal “is to have the paintings possess an abstract quality when viewed at a proximity of 3-5 feet, but as the observer steps back the painting becomes more representational.” To that end, he uses various tools, such as brush, brayer, palette knife, and squeegee.
Dhein earned a BFA from the University of Oshkosh (WI) and an MFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco (2013), where he also taught. He is represented by Abend Gallery in Denver, Galerie L’Oeil du Prince in Paris, Jessup Cellars in Yountville (CA), and Stricoff Fine Art in New York City.
"Writer’s Block"
By Michael DeVore (oil on linen, 24” x 30”, 2014)
While majoring in art at Pepperdine University (CA), Michael DeVore was encouraged by Michael Zakian, director of the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art and art history professor, to pursue further training in the realist renaissance. After graduating in 2005, DeVore continued his art studies at The Florence Academy of Art in Italy, completing his final year at its branch in Sweden, where he later joined the faculty.
Southwest Art Magazine honored DeVore in 2012 as an “Artist to Watch” and in 2014 with an Artistic Excellence Award. In 2015, The Artist’s Magazine awarded him first place in the still life category. His artwork has been exhibited in various venues, including The Artists Guild, Greenhouse Gallery Salon International, The International Guild of Realism, and Oil Painters of America.
While specializing in still life, DeVore also paints landscapes, portraits, and narrative pieces as in the painting featured here, “Writer’s Block.”
These two paintings highlight workers connected with the seafood trade: Paul Schulenberg’s "This Woman’s Work" and Michael J. Harrell’s "South Carolina Oysterman".
"South Carolina Oysterman"
Michael J. Harrell (oil, 24” x 36”, 2012)
​Harrell graduated from the University of Georgia with a BFA degree in graphic design. During his career as a freelance illustrator for major business corporations, his work was exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration in New York City. In the 1990s, he began focusing on fine art, specializing in seascapes and landscapes. His work has been exhibited with the North American Marine Arts Society, the Philadelphia Watercolor Club, and the Salmagundi Club, and featured in several art magazines.
"This Woman’s Work"
Paul Schulenberg (oil on canvas, 46” x 35”, 2018)
Schulenberg received a BFA degree from Boston University School of Fine Arts, where he learned the fundamentals of classical art technique. For two decades, he worked as an illustrator for major publications and business corporations. Now living in Cape Cod, Schulenberg paints portraits, interiors, cityscapes, and is particularly known for his waterfront series. He is a member of the American Impressionist Society, the Oil Painters of America, and the Salmagundi Club of New York City.
"The Wooden Horseman"
by Brad Lethaby (oil, 20' x 16', 2013)
A graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design, Brad Lethaby worked as a designer and illustrator for a toy company, art studio, and print shop until becoming a full-time painter in 2000.
The Wooden Horseman won second prize in the Ray Mar Art Seventh Annual Fine Art Competition in 2014.