Dustin Van Wechel, b. 1974, United States
Since leaving a successful eight year career in advertising to pursue fine art on a full time basis, Dustin Van Wechel has been poised to ascend to the top in the genre of wildlife painting. As a young boy growing up in Arizona, trips with his father into the high country instilled a deep love of the mountains and appreciation for nature, the environment and the animals.
Influenced by such iconic wildlife artists as Carl Rungius, Bob Kuhn, Tucker Smith and Ken Carlson, it is clear Van Wechel has a very thorough understanding of his subject matter in addition to excellent drawing skills, bold, painterly brushwork and a strong sense of design.
In a recent article in Western Art Collector Van Wechel says, “Painting wildlife provides a well of opportunity to communicate not only my personal experiences and perceptions of my subjects but also provides a window into understanding what moves me as an artist and who I am as a person.” He adds, “I choose to paint wildlife because this is what gets me most excited about painting. I find inspiration everywhere, but it’s in wildlife and landscapes where I am most driven to paint.”
Call of the Wild
by Norman Kolpas
Dustin Van Wechel’s animal paintings evolve from his travels to the West’s unspoiled places.
Heading in the Right Direction
by Sara Frederick Gilbert
On a recent trip to Glacier National Park, Dustin Van Wechel came upon a rugged old tree that stopped him in his tracks. Something about its trunk, which had folded over itself and the mist hanging in its branches, reminded him of a scene from a horror movie—which gave him an idea for a painting
“I looked at it and I thought that it would make a great setting for a group of ravens feeding on an animal carcass,” Van Wechel says. “But I wasn’t interested in actually painting the carcass, I just wanted to paint it so that anyone who looked at it would know that’s what was going on.”
That’s exactly the kind of story that Van Wechel loves to tell in his wildlife paintings.
Fine Art Today
Fall Arts in Jackson Hole
By Andrew Webster - September 14, 2017
The Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival is currently in full swing with auctions, exhibitions, luncheons, dinners, musical entertainment, and more. Whether you’re in attendance or not, we’ve got some details you’ll want to consider.
The 2016 Fall Arts Festival packs an amazing number of events into a short time. Trailside Galleries follows that lead.
This year the gallery will host shows for four artists during the festival. The four artists spotlighted at Trailside during this year’s Fall Arts Festival are Adam Smith, Bonnie Marris, Dustin Van Wechel and Brent Cotton.