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Editor's note: KSL.com does a weekly feature on artists in the community. If you have a painter, sculptor, musician or creative genius in mind, feel free to email your submission to fjolley@ksl.com. Please include a contact email for the artist, if available.SALT LAKE CITY — A gentle breeze, the shadows that move across a high mountain valley, the change of seasons and the bugle of an elk in the fall inspire artist Daren Wilding.
His successful juxtapositions of rugged, yet beautiful landscapes reflect his love of nature and the beauty of the West. His passion is creating paintings that express the awe and appreciation he experiences in the great outdoors.
In order to produce exquisitely detailed paintings, Wilding said he spends a great deal of time doing research, visiting potential locations and photographing scenes while paying close attention to the light and detail. In addition to selecting beautiful vistas and wildlife, Wildling develops interesting backlighting and contrast.
His research and love of his subject are evident in the accuracy and feeling of each painting.
“You have to do the research,” he said. “You get to do the research; it’s part of the fun for me."
Fortunately for his wife and children, these field trips also serve as family outings so he can share the grandeur of the West with those he loves most.
Classically trained in the arts, Wilding graduated from then-Ricks College with an associate’s degree in illustration, then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Idaho State University.
Born and reared in Idaho, Wilding moved to Utah to teach in 1992. He instructs art students at Weber High School where he has a studio that allows students to see a “real” artist at work and observe his process and works in progress.
“I practice my craft every day at my ‘other’ job drawing, painting and designing with my students," he said. "It’s the best of both worlds because it keeps me sharp and my students see how being an artist happens. I have a studio at school and I am there two to three hours after school each day painting."
Education played an important role in Wilding's decision to pursue a career in art. He said one of his first experiences with a professional artist occurred in junior high when he took classes from George Wise, an outdoor and wildlife artist. For one of his art projects, he drew an old home in Pocatello. Wise encouraged him to contact the owners of the home to see if they would be interested in purchasing the drawing. Although the piece didn’t sell, the experience opened his eyes to the idea of art providing an income and he said he will always be grateful to his teacher for that experience.
In college, Wilding had the chance to study with one of his art heroes, Leon Parson, another wildlife and landscape artist. Parson's encouragement and the opportunity to see his success helped Wilding see a career in art as a possibility.
"For the most part, I strive to share a sense of peace, tranquility and awe as I paint, whether it’s a mountain lake reflecting the clouds or a bugling elk," Wilding said in his artist statement. "I hope my pieces share that sense of centering you can find in nature."
Wilding has been marketing his work since 1995; he shows his work in several Northern Utah galleries, the Logan Fine Art Gallery, Split Rock Gallery in St. George and Montana Trails Gallery in Bozeman Montana. His paintings are also in many collections throughout the United States, including the St. George Museum of Art and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He has participated in many art shows throughout the West, including the Park City Arts Festival, Beaver Creek Art Festival and the Jackson Hole Art Festival at Teton Village and has been included in the prestigious Western Masters Art Show in Great Falls Montana.
He has been the featured artist at the St George Arts Festival and has been invited to participate in Arts for the National Parks, Paint America, Paint the Parks, Springville Spring Salon, the Dixie Invitational and the Thanksgiving Point Invitational Plein Air Art Show.
Wilding lives in Willard "in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains" with his wife Mellonee and their five children.
Contact him at:
Pam McMurtry is an artist, designer, teacher and writer with a BFA in visual art. Her "A Harvest and Halloween Handbook" is on Amazon.com and B&N.com. Visit her website at: www.mcreativem.com. She is married and a parent of seven.
