Painter of the Canadian West Roger Arndt

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Roger D. Arndt

Painter of the Canadian West
Roger D. Arndt's hallmark scenes of towering Rocky Mountains, western forests, Pacific shores and gardens have captured the attention of the fine art collectors world wide.

Roger's work is distinguished by a luminous and mystical quality that stirs inspiration in all who sees his work.

He began to see the world through an artist eye at the age of twelve when he set out into his journey of fine art. In the early 1970's at the age of fourteen, Roger became inspired by the work of Loren D. Adams Jr., a well-known seascape artist who was working out of Vancouver's Granville Island district. Roger became an apprentice to Adams. Through careful observation and Adam's mentoring, Roger nurtured his own talent. He learned how to put paint on canvas, and express his vision through his brushes.

In his late teen years, Roger discovered his love for the Rocky Mountains. He spent several months each year exploring Alberta's Lake Louise, Jasper, and Athabasca regions, hiking and camping at the base of towering mountains, and ancient glaciers. Roger was moved by the power and majesty of the mountains. His soul inspired, he began to paint these vast and glorious monuments.

Several years ago, Roger returned to painting oceans, the subject he had painted in his early years, but he approached it in a whole new way. He wanted to represent the Pacific as he saw it when he traveled to places like Long Beach on BC's West Coast. He also became fascinated with Haida totems, he wanted to add structure to his paintings, and after studying the history of totems at the University of British Columbia, he began to incorporate them into his ocean paintings.

Roger began to introduce gardens into his paintings in the mid-1990's. He found inspiration in his own gardening experiences at his Okanagan home. He has found the subject to be rewarding, both in the appreciation he has developed for the art of gardening, and in the new directions gardening has given his art.

A Roger D. Arndt painting is a timeless work of art that marries the breathtaking subject matter of Canada's west with fine craftsmanship and quality. Roger is a smooth brush oil painter who utilizes a century old Flemish technique that was once practiced by European artists. His attention to detail is paramount from the time he conceptualizes the image in his mind and prepares his boards, to the finishing and framing of the completed piece.

The preparation of an oil painting is a laborious one. First a panel is coated with many layers of oil primer, then hand sanded to achieve a surface that is smooth as glass. Roger moves on to create an image in conceptual drawings, conceived from his own photos, sketches, memory and imagination. Before starting the formal painting process, Roger prepares a scaled down, loosely painted oil study to test composition and color elements.

The striking luminescence that one sees in Roger's works is achieved through a painstaking color layering technique. Using the finest hand-made sable brushes, Roger applies dozens of thinned-down transparent layers of color on top of each other, and lets each layer dry before moving onto the next. When the image is complete, the effect is remarkable. The light travels through the layers and reflects off the surface of the white board beneath, creating a gentle and luminescence play of light and color. The layering technique is time consuming so Roger usually works on a dozen paintings at a time. He is also one of the few artists who paint large format representational works, as large as 48 x 72 inches. He typically paints a few large pieces a year, each taking eight months or so to complete.

To maintain integrity in finishing, all of Roger's work is framed in his own framing studio in the Okanagan, the Cherrytree Workshop.

For more of Roger D. Arndt's artwork, please view his website at www.rdaart.com "Painter of the Canadian West".

Alpine Air and Sound by Oil Artist Roger D. Arndt

Guardians of the Cove by Oil Artist Roger D. Arndt

Gardeners Delight by Oil Artist Roger D. Arndt

Click on a picture for a larger image and ordering information

Roger D. Arndt
Painter of the Canadian West
P.O. Box 2579 Postal Station R
Kelowna, BC, V1S 6A6
Phone: (250) 765-9568 Facsimile: (250) 765-5598
E-mail: admin@rdaart.com Web: www.rdaart.com

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