Selections from the Don B. Huntley Collection:

Greg Beechum
The Marauders, 2010
oil on canvas
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.073

Artist Biography:
Since 1978, Greg Beechum has spent full-time to painting. Using wildlife as inspiration, Beechum’s vision is to utilize paint in such a way that there is not only the illusion of dimension, but a natural and genuine depth to the paint itself. Beechum is known to honor the sanctity of life and the beauty of nature and lives by the motto “Do all things as unto the Lord and get so good that you can’t be ignored.”

His painting, The Marauders, showcases a pack of wild arctic wolves adventuring the mountainside on a sunny winter day. The quick movement of the painting wholly encapsulates the grand life and natural swiftness of the wolves that marks their magnificence.

Greg Beechum
The Reds & Grays of November, 2009
oil on canvas
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.078

Artist Biography:
Since 1978, Greg Beechum has spent full-time to painting. Using wildlife as inspiration, Beechum’s vision is to utilize paint in such a way that there is not only the illusion of dimension, but a natural and genuine depth to the paint itself. Beechum is known to honor the sanctity of life and the beauty of nature and lives by the motto “Do all things as unto the Lord and get so good that you can’t be ignored.”

The Reds & Grays of November is an atmospheric painting representing two alert whitetail deer amid the height of fall. The subtle yet intriguing blends of reds and oranges of the background landscape help to create the familiar feel of autumn that is so present in the painting.

Brent Cotton
Near the Old Bridge, 2012
oil on linen
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.039

Artist Biography:
Brent Cotton was raised on his family’s cattle ranch in Idaho where his first art lessons were taught to him by his grandmother, a skilled watercolorist. After growing up sketching cowboys and horses, Brent was encouraged to pursue a career in art. His experiences in the vast wilderness of Idaho and Alaska have guided his focus towards wildlife art.

Near the Old Bridge is a painting portraying an autumn evening on the Bitterroot River near Cotton’s home in western Montana. Cotton is an avid fly fisherman and this backlit scene on his home river served as the inspiration for this painting. This stretch of water downstream of the old bridge is some of Cotton’s favorite to fish and gather painting references from.

Robert Duncan
Winter's Coming, 2018
oil on linen
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.131

Artist Biography:
Robert Duncan was born in 1952 in Salt Lake City. Growing up, he spent the summers helping his grandparents at their cattle ranch in Wyoming where he was surrounded by gorgeous open country and soon fell in love with rural life. Duncan drew constantly from the age of five and went on to study art at the University of Utah. Now, Duncan journeys to places including Russia, Scandanavia, Europe, the East Coast, and Canada where he has been able to visit museums and study other great artists that he admires.

Winter’s Coming features a large bull moose and some companions in front of Wyoming’s Grand Teton mountains as they gather to prepare for the coming of the long winter. In this painting, Duncan attempts to depict the grandeur of this landscape as well as how the powerful and majestic animals are such an integral and vibrant part of the environment. Duncan declares, “I will always try in my art to inspire others to share my hope that we recognize the value to our quality of life in saving places where nature and our fellow creatures can exist in a natural state.” 

Lanny Grant
Bridger Wilderness, 2016
oil on board
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.109

Artist Biography:
Having grown up in Colorado on his father’s ranch near the small Western Slope town of Silt, artist Lanny Grant developed an early, genuine love and appreciation for the mountains that surrounded him. Transforming fishing trips into sketching trips, Grant quickly developed his artistic ability and dedication to his practice. From 1971-1972, Grant studied art history, painting, design, life drawing and sculpture at Adams State College and soon began to evolve his own techniques of translating impressions gathered from nature. This oil painting, Bridger Wilderness, depicts late summer of Northwestern Wyoming in an area called Titcomb Basic located about fifteen miles northeast of Pinedale in the Wind River Range. Since 2012, Grant has made annual painting trips into the Wind River Range, packing in with horses and mules to sketch and paint in this remote and rugged alpine landscape.

Lanny Grant
Return of Spring, n.d.
oil on board
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.125

Artist Biography:
Always applying fundamental principles, Grant has evolved in his own techniques of translating impressions gathered from nature. A compelling love for the changing moods of the mountains has drawn him into the high countries of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada to paint. Often working in remote areas, Lanny makes numerous sketches and oil color studies for use as reference in doing larger studio paintings. He says that the spontaneity of composition and accuracy of color that results from painting on location is invaluable.

The results of this dedicated work are a fresh and accurate portrayal of the many moods of the changing seasons in these alpine regions. The quality of light in mountain country, and clarity of color that come through in his work, draw the viewer into his paintings as though they were themselves on the peaks with the artist.

Return of Spring depicts late Spring in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. An ancient limber pine stands guard over the meadows of sage and blooming wildflowers with the Cathedral Group view of the Tetons in the distance. Grant frequents this area on annual painting trips to not only paint, but to explore the beauty of the national park.

Bonnie Marris
The Land Baron, n.d.
oil on canvas
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.007

Artist Biography:
Studying color and light, Marris says, has become an obsession with her. “Color sets a mood, an atmosphere that can create feelings ranging from contentment to terror. There are colors within colors, too. The many colors in a shadow, for instance, convey cold or heat. The way light plays with the subject is also very important. Light may dance across snow or water, then lead the eye through the thick fur of” an animal’s coat or flash in the corner of the creature’s eye. “I’m fascinated by hue changes in light as it ages with the day.”

In the process of making her work, Marris does a lot of outdoor photography and sketching while taking a major field research trip a year. “Watching bison along the plains, grizzlies fishing in Alaska, or elk sparring is thrilling”, Marris says, but at the same time she finds herself impatient to get back to the studio to paint these sights. Then, back in the studio, she can’t wait to get outdoors again.

A land baron is the owner or ruler of a land. For the artist to title a painting The Land Baron, depicting a herd of bison implies that Marris regards bison with great respect. This can also be seen in the composition of the piece. The scene is made of two parts, the landscape and the sky. The bison command the landscape, occupying nearly all the space in the lower half of the painting. The standing bison in the foreground also dominates the picture plane with its form that extends past the horizon line, and dominates the space within the sky

Bonnie Marris 
Sing Out, n.d.
oil on canvas
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.052

Artist Biography:
Bonnie Marris has been studying and painting wolves, foxes, dogs and horses since childhood. She remembers her family home as a refuge for anyone in trouble, human or animal. “At one time we had two wolves and a three-month-old coyote living with us.” When Marris wasn’t around animals, she was painting them and her love of them led her to pursue degrees in Zoology and Animal Behavior, focusing on predators like wolves, big cats, bears, and foxes.

She cites David Shephard, the great British painter and preservationist, as her hero and mentor. His mastery of color and pure magic on canvas, motivates her every day to become more skillful, to make an animal seem to step-off the linen canvas so that viewers hold their breath in preparation for the meeting.

In this painting, Marris says “My lifelong love affair with wolves is epitomized and celebrated with Sing Out. Wolves have a very special way of sharing good things and bad things—they celebrate both. When puppies are born, the pack breaks into a glorious, excited howl with tails wagging. When a pack member returns from an absence, a wonderful reunion howl is the welcoming. When a pack member is lost or dies, again the shared chorus begins. This painting is a celebration of the good and the bad of life. It celebrates bonds of friendship, love and loyalty.”

Ralph Oberg
On Higher Ground, 2006
oil on canvas on Sourcetek panel
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.040

Artist Biography:
Artist Ralph Oberg was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, raised in Aurora, Colorado, and currently resides in the Southwest region of Colorado. He always had a strong affinity for art and wildlife. For over 10 years, Oberg focused on paintings of wildlife which appeared at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum’s “Birds in Art” show in the early 1980s and which were elected to the Society of Animal Artists. Around 1987, Oberg changed the direction of his career and began to study with some of the contemporary plein air masters of the day. Currently, he is able to pursue his passion through numerous car camping, backpacking, horse packing, bush flying and climbing adventures and has recently enjoyed trekking in the Nepal Himalaya and traveling to the French and Swiss Alps. 

His painting, On Higher Ground, portrays the snowy mountain goat country of the Canadian Rockies accompanied by innate wildlife. Oberg shares that he wants “to remind people that we still have such a beautiful world, and we need to take care of it,” and uses paintings such as this to further demonstrate his thoughts and appreciation.

Ralph Oberg
Above the Yukon (Caribou), 2005
oil on linen mounted on Sourcetek panel
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.003

Artist Biography:
Artist Ralph Oberg was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, raised in Aurora, Colorado, and currently resides in the Southwest region of Colorado. He always had a strong affinity for art and wildlife. For over 10 years, Oberg focused on paintings of wildlife which appeared at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum’s “Birds in Art” show in the early 1980s and which were elected to the Society of Animal Artists. Around 1987, Oberg changed the direction of his career and began to study with some of the contemporary plein air masters of the day. Currently, he is able to pursue his passion through numerous car camping, backpacking, horse packing, bush flying and climbing adventures and has recently enjoyed trekking in the Nepal Himalaya and traveling to the French and Swiss Alps. 

Above the Yukon is a painting inspired from an early fall trip Oberg and his wife took to the Yukon Territory of Canada and Southeast Alaska depicting the high tundra where the Caribou of the area are frequently seen.

William S. Phillips
The Grand Expedition, 2011
oil on board
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.069

Artist Biography:
Renowned aviation and landscape artist William S. Phillips was born in Los Angeles and began his life in art after four of his paintings sold at a local airport restaurant when he was in college. Now, living and active in Oregon, he is well-known and respected for his classic aviation landscape paintings, Phillips spends days finding companionship with the land and effectively conveying the boundlessness of nature upon the canvas.

In his artwork, The Grand Expedition, Phillips portrays a spectator’s view of a John Wesley Powell encampment on one of his expeditions through the uncharted canyons of this American treasure. “There is nothing more majestic to behold than the Grand Canyon at sunset,” asserts Phillips. “You begin with those stripes of horizontal color, layers upon layers of limestone to sandstone to granite. Throughout the day, as the sun transverses the sky, their colors change from instant to instant, but nothing is more brilliant than when the low sun strikes the great walls and stone faces at day’s end.”

Kyle Sims
Before the Thunder, 2009
oil on canvas mounted on Sourcetek panel
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.013

Artist Biography:
Kyle Sims grew up in the state of Wyoming, training in the arts from an early age. When he was 13, he developed a passion for painting animals specifically. Attending many workshops over the years, Sims studied the works of wildlife painters such as Terry Isaac and Paco Young. The latter served as a major influence for Sims as Young taught him the significance of going outdoors to paint in the field. Thanks to his teachers, Sims believes that the outdoor experience is a big part of what makes wildlife painting so enjoyable. He explains that there is a ‘sketchy spontaneity’ to painting in the field that he wants captured in his artworks. 

Before the Thunder depicts a herd of bison with two in the foreground peering at each other. Sims’ careful studies of wildlife are clear within this realistic piece that portrays both the beauty and strength of these animals. For his wildlife pieces, Sims explains that “...being in close contact with creatures other than humans is very exciting and emotionally stimulating. I have to relay that onto canvas as to share it with others. Some of the animals can be very aggressive and unpredictable. Other animals can be extremely social, much like humans.”

Kyle Sims
A Meeting in the Woods, n.d.
oil on linen canvas
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.127

Artist Biography:
After high school, Sims attended Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. He spent much of that time taking advantage of the Montana experience and spent a great deal of time in the Beartooth Mountains. One memory he has is of taking a course in fly fishing. It was an extra-curricular course, but still a very fitting option for a Montana school. He truly believes that getting outdoors is paramount to the enjoyment of being a wildlife artist. 

Every year, Kyle’s tastes with painting and art continue to evolve through practice and study. This isn’t something forced, but rather a product of time and passion, bordering on obsession. 

For his piece, A Meeting in the Woods, Sims describes how he often happens upon elk while he traverses through the woods, searching for inspiration. “There is something so primeval about encountering a bull elk in this situation, when it’s just you and him. He doesn’t know what your next move is and vice versa.”

Michael Stack
Approaching Taos in Sun and Rain, n.d.
oil on canvas
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.008

Artist Biography:
Born in New York and raised in California, Michael Stack is a self-taught artist with a primary interest in landscape painting. Seeking to capture the vastness of the Southwestern landscape, Stack has been living and painting in New Mexico and Arizona. His focus is a fleeting moment of shadow, light and color that effectively awakens an emotional response in the viewer.

Approaching Taos in Sun and Rain is one of many genuine examples of Stack’s effortless depiction of light and obscurity often observed just before the fall of rain. Exhibiting colorful, lively clouds amongst a scenic landscape, Stack effectively portrays the quite beauty towards the end of a rainy day.

Dustin Van Wechel 
The Passersby, n.d.
oil on canvas
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.076

Artist Biography:
Dustin Van Wechel has won multiple awards over the years, such as the ‘2015 Premier Platinum Award’ at the Buffalo Bill Show and the 2022 ‘Bob Kuhn Award for Wildlife’ at the Masters of the American West show. Such considerable achievements seem all the more remarkable considering that Van Wechel dedicated himself to fine art just two decades ago, following a successful career as an advertising art director. But his love of animals, and the of drawing them, traces back to his childhood in Arizona, where his mother was an absolute animal lover. “At one point in our home, we had three dogs, a cat, two turtles, two rabbits, and some fish as well. She’s one of those folks who has to save whatever animal she finds. That was the foundation of why I just slid into wildlife art without any thought about it.” 

Van Wechel loves to tell the stories of wildlife in the American West, especially the ones about the interactions between species. Coyotes are known for occasionally targeting the calves of bison so, for The Passersby, where a pair of coyotes come across a herd of bison in Yellowstone National Park, the bison refuses to even tolerate their presence. A male bison stands guard, giving the coyotes a clear warning to move on.

Dustin Van Wechel
Make Way, 2019
oil on canvas on Sourcetek panel
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.132

Artist Biography:
As Van Wechel transitioned from acrylics to oils, he developed an approach that brings phenomenal presence to his mostly large-scale paintings, engaging viewers whether they regard them from across the room or mere inches away. 

He begins by selecting one or more images from his data bank and working up thumbnail sketches for the painting he imagines. Then, on a primed canvas, he tones using warm sepia, draws in his composition in thin washes of oil “to tackle the top three values and a basic overall color scheme.” From there, he takes what he describes as a “fat over lean” approach, applying his paint ever more thickly with brush and palette knife —and waiting, of course, for the oils to dry between stages, as he “builds up the texture and contrasts I’m looking for. As the painting moves into brighter tones and brighter values, the paint gets thicker and thicker.” The resulting effect is an uncanny three-dimensional quality and natural radiance.

In the summer of 2015, Van Wechel says he had “one of the most inspiring encounters with wildlife I’ve ever had in my twenty-plus years of venturing out into the wilds.” While hiking with a couple of artist friends in the Beartooth mountains, a group of more than twenty mountain goats suddenly appeared. They blocked the left side of the artists, who were surrounded by cliffs in all other directions. Van Wechel and his friends had no choice but to climb over boulders as carefully as they could to ‘make way’ for the animals.

David Yorke
On the Edge of Night, n.d.
oil on canvas mounted on Sourcetek panel
The Huntley Collection of Western Art.
Donated by Don B. Huntley to the College
of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona.
HUN.041

Artist Biography:
David Yorke was born in New Jersey and was raised in South Florida. His ambition to express himself through visual arts was discovered at a very young age and his family heritage was filled with artistic influences that encouraged his creative journeys. Yorke’s art career began with commercial illustrating and design and in 1995, moved into animation background painting with the Florida Disney Studios. In 2004, Yorke left corporate art and began to focus on his endeavor as a gallery painter, representing the historical narrative of Native Americans and the American Western Frontier. 

On the Edge of Night was done for the Masters of American West show at the Autry Museum in 2007. The photographic reference of the wolf was taken in West Yellowstone while the background mountains are of the Tetons. It is currently sunset, and the lake is calm and tranquil. Even though this is the time of day when all light begins to dim, it is also the time where the wildlife comes alive, blending in with their surroundings as they explore, hunt, or bond within their pack.