Artist Focus: Curt Walters
/Western Art Collector | May 2022
“I paint the air that surrounds my subjects and reveals a deeper understanding of the moment and emotions, time stamped in each and every one of my paintings.”
Walters embarked upon his first descension into the depths of the Grand Canyon and peering over its magnificent rims fresh out of high school. Though life would draw him away and on many adventures since that first visit, Walters knew deep down that he had an eternal link to this sacred place. In the 1980s, he was enticed back to these grand expanses and put his creative knowledge to work, skillfully capturing the grandeur and depth of beauty that this majestic landscape presented. His words convey such passion that it harkens to a deep spiritual connection—“beautiful and delicate temples” are the words he uses to describe the spires.
“In the art of plein air painting, the artist finds the truth,” and in painting these expanses, Walters found his truth and his vision. His versatile repertoire shows he is not defined by his canyon paintings, but these pieces carry merit and conviction. Walters has stood on the precipice of this divine creation repeatedly throughout his career, capturing a visual record and diary of the park. His attention to each detail has made his awareness acute to the environmental changes occurring before his eyes. Be it smoke from fires out West or compounding challenges of pollution, the artist has noticed and recorded these changes with alarm. His commitment to this national treasure arose a sense of duty to protect and conserve the park. Through donations of his paintings to two organizations, he has helped raise more than $500,000 for his beloved canyon.
In an interview, Walters’ mom tells a story about life on the farm and how her son as a young man “was looking at the clouds…but he does that quite often already.” Walters still has his head in the clouds in a most glorious way, capturing each one of them with unique personality as they pass through this Grand Canyon.