Spending nearly two decades as an Alaskan guide, self-taught artist George Lockwood knows a few things about wildlife and being a part of nature.
“It was just so big and there was just so much to see. It seemed like there was something around every corner,” Lockwood said.
Now he’s a wildlife and landscape painter living in the Santa Ynez Valley, and the latest artist to exhibit at the Los Olivos Café. The exhibit, The Valley—and Beyond; Artistic Visions, features Lockwood’s wildlife and landscape paintings from areas throughout Santa Ynez Valley and a few from a lot farther away.
Lockwood grew up spending a lot of time outdoors, camping, hunting, and fishing in the western United States and Mexico with his father and brother, and developed a great appreciation for being in nature. He even attended Cal Poly in SLO, earning a degree in agricultural business management. While there, he spent the summer months packing mules in Yosemite National Park. That experience led him to a 19-year career guiding clients to some of the most remote corners of Alaska.
However, it was two college art electives that really spurred his creativity. Art started as a hobby until Lockwood was commissioned to paint specific animals and places for people he guided. So in the winter months he began painting professionally, specializing in wildlife and landscape. By 1989 he moved to Prescott, Ariz., to broaden his range of subject matter and devote more attention to art, while continuing to guide in Alaska.
His work has earned numerous awards and gained national recognition, specifically his depictions of wildlife and landscape including several state duck and game bird stamps. His paintings can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the United States and around the world. He is represented locally at The Portico Gallery in Montecito and is published by Wild Wings in Lake City, Minn.
Lockwood’s practice in observing and appreciating wildlife and nature adds to his artistic perspective, providing viewers an intimate experience in the scenes presented in his work. The exhibit features paintings of areas around the Santa Ynez Valley, two pieces of original work from his 2014 barn calendar, and at least two barn pieces from locations in Minnesota and South Dakota. There are also some vineyard paintings.
This exhibit is one of a continuing series of shows made possible by the commitment of the Los Olivos Café to showcase local art and artists. The Artists Guild of the Santa Ynez Valley, a nonprofit arts organization with more than 30 years of history in the area, coordinates and manages the “art without borders” installation in cooperation with the café. A portion of art sales benefits the guild and these collaborative efforts—a way to keep art alive and accessible in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone is accessible by emailing her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 6-13, 2012.