John Taft
A profound love and fascination with this country was instilled in me during my college years through several cross-country road trips from western New York to California. I found myself especially drawn to the Western landscape, captivated by its dynamic variety, inherent beauty, and sheer grandeur. This powerful attraction eventually led me to leave a design career in New York and relocate to Colorado, where I picked up the brush and began this creative adventure. In my painting, I seek to capture an essential quality of the natural world and express it authentically, drawing inspiration from the masters who came before me as well as contemporary artists working today.
John
Longmont, CO
John Taft
John fell in love with the West over several cross-country trips from his hometown in western New York to Pasadena, California, where he studied at Art Center College of Design. Following college, he worked as a designer/art director in New York City. The convenient proximity to museums and galleries helped nurture a desire to paint, and in 2004 John moved with his young family to Colorado to pursue art.
John has been honored to take part in many great shows and has received various awards, including Gold at the Oil Painters of America Masters’ Show in 2023, and Gold at the OPA Western Regional exhibit in 2021. The Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas, made his painting, “Thunder Run”, part of their permanent collection in 2022. In 2018 he received the Best Signature Painting Award at the OPA National, and also the Best Landscape Award of Excellence twice in prior OPA national exhibits. He has exhibited in the Coors Western Art show and the National Club Show where he received an award of excellence. He has also shown in the American Masters show at the Salmagundi Club in New York. John has had multiple one man shows, and is represented by Claggett-Rey Gallery in Edwards, Colorado, and Ballard Fine Art in Sheridan, Wyoming.
The majority of John’s subjects are drawn from Colorado and the surrounding states, but he loves the coasts as well. John and his wife, recent empty-nesters, live in Longmont, Colorado.
The majority of John’s subjects are drawn from Colorado and the surrounding states, but he loves the coasts as well. John and his wife, recent empty-nesters, live in Longmont, Colorado.
