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Fueled by hope, optimism and necessity, pioneers began to push beyond the Mississippi in earnest by the mid-1800s. Some of these emigrants went west in search of land, some in search of gold & silver and some, for religious freedom.
Weistling’s paintings of pioneer history capture the heart and soul of the frontier experience because he opens himself up to the unique human experiences and details what he observes while researching his work.
“I actually travelled to South Dakota and assembled this crossing, like I was putting together a movie,” Weistling explains. “I found a young lad who had his own oxen and he would bring them to the river when I had everything else in place. Once I witnessed this kid's amazing ability to make these oxen do whatever he wanted and saw him lead them through the river ― I knew my painting had found its hero.”
“This was a boy raised on the frontier just like the early pioneers I love to depict. And there he was, real and in front of me. The father knew he could trust his son to lead the oxen through the river while he pushed the wagon from the rear. This was something they had done many times previously, just as the pioneers. This painting honors the legacy of the pioneer toughness of our forefather's children as much as it does their own.”
Is it a source of pride for you that your ancestors braved the uncertainties and perils of the trails westward to achieve freedom and prosperity for themselves and future generations? Honor that rich legacy with a Fine Art Edition of Morgan Weistling’s "Crossing the Cheyenne River, Summer, 1850."
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Morgan Weistling began his artistic training on his father’s lap at 19 months
of age, where he learned how to draw and more importantly, use his
imagination. Capitalizing on his father’s talent for telling a story in comic
strip form, Morgan began to develop a sense of narrative in his drawing. “It
was here that art became a language for me.” At the age of 12, Morgan applied
his interest in art to studying his father’s art books and began his art
school studies at the Brandes Art Institute at 15. Working in a Los Angeles
art supply store while attending art school, Morgan chanced to show his
artwork to a prominent illustrator. As a result of their encounter, at the
age of 19, Weistling found himself employed at a top movie poster agency in
Hollywood. For the next 14 years, Morgan illustrated for every movie studio in
Hollywood. His clients included Universal/Amblin Entertainment, Disney, MGM,
Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures and TriStar.
In addition to movie posters, Weistling created all the cover artwork for the
video series, McGee and Me for Focus on the Family and his art can be seen on
numerous magazine, book, CD and video covers as well as Sega pinball
machines. Since he has made fine art the focus of his art career, the
collector demand for his originals has been overwhelming.
With his masterful use of oils, Morgan Weistling brings a scene to life with
spectacular lighting, creating a sense of wonder and engaging the viewer’s
imagination and emotion. His dreamlike images touch the viewer’s heart, using
more than sentimentality to engage the viewer. His canvases are filled with
brushwork that tells a story beyond the subject matter. Like a skilled movie
director, he manipulates the focus of interest with suggestions and
impressions of forms that are barely realized and allow the viewer’s
imagination to fill in the details. “There is a story underneath the story of
my paintings,” Morgan adds, “I don’t hide the process of how I painted it. You
can see the layers and count the strokes it took to get there. With some
styles of painting, the closer you get to the canvas, the more you will see.
With mine, the more you step back, the more detail you will see. That’s not
easy, which is why it fascinates me.” Morgan Weistling follows in the
footsteps of the masters he admires, John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn and
Nicolai Fechin as well as many others. In all of his vibrant work, from
western art to feminine forms, Weistling crafts a narrative, driven by
clarity, focus and purpose, drawing on images inspired by his beliefs and
scenes from daily life. “My hope is that people will enjoy viewing my artwork
as much I enjoyed painting it. For me, art is my language used to
communicate to others how I see God’s creation. When I experience another
artist’s work, I love to see through their eyes and find out as much about the
artist as the subject they painted. That is what makes art so interesting.”
Weistling, a highly sought-after teacher, conducts private workshops with
juried students and teaches at the prestigious Scottsdale Artist School.
Recent honors and awards include the Patron’s Choice Award and the Trustees
Purchase Award at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, CA, the
Prix de West Purchase Award at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
in Oklahoma City, OK, and the Patron's Choice Award at the Autry Museum of
Western Heritage. Weistling's book, The Image of Christ, was a finalist for
the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Gold Medallion Book Award.
Weistling and his artist wife JoAnn, whom he met in art school, have been
married for 14 years. Their 9 year-old daughter is often a model in
Weistling’s paintings. They make their home in California.
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