ROBERT PUMMILL (American, b. 1936). Near the Aspen Grove, 1975. Oil on canvas. 24 x 40 inches (61.0 x 101.6 cm). Signed ...

Description

ROBERT PUMMILL (American, b. 1936)
Near the Aspen Grove, 1975
Oil on canvas
24 x 40 inches (61.0 x 101.6 cm)
Signed lower left: Pummill

Like many artists, Bob Pummill spends countless hours in his studio; he is an avid researcher of historical periods, and he has spent many days on the road traveling throughout the West in order to assure that his paintings have the look and feel of specific places and times. He carefully works out the composition of each painting and makes numerous small thumbnail sketches before turning to his larger canvases. In short, Pummill puts in a lot of work for each painting. Art has been his full time occupation since 1977, yet he will tell you that in all of that time, he has never looked upon his art as a burden of any kind. As he says, "When you spend your time doing what you love, you never go to work."

While much of his art draws from the period between the Civil War through the Indian Wars (1890s), an era that gave birth to the American cowboy, he also produces timeless paintings of the West such as Near the Aspen Grove. A scene such as this one could take place in almost any time period, including the present. Pummill is adept at creating scenes of high drama and adventure, but he also frequently captures quieter and more reflective moments. With each painting, his goal is to evoke in the viewer a sense of place. He has said, "Every place has its own spirit. I try to imagine what it would have been like to have been in that particular place at that particular time. I want to paint the essence of the situation and to capture the atmosphere and feeling of the era and setting."

Pummill spent nine years in the Air Force, which afforded him the opportunity to travel across the country and gain firsthand experience of the land he would later portray in his art. After the Air Force, he spent many years as an illustrator and draughtsman in the aerospace industry. He confined his painting to nights and weekends until he was able to sell enough to launch his painting career. He compares the whole process of creating a painting from the first concept through the actual execution as being similar to directing a movie, but as he says, "I get to be director, writer, cinematographer, and set designer."


More information about ROBERT PUMMILL. See also: Pummill, Robert, Robert Pummill Artist.

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