Stanton Englehart
Stanton Englehart (1931-2009) grew up on on a farm in Cortez, Colorado, moved to Durango in 1957 to attend Fort Lewis College, earned a Master's Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado, and taught in the Art Department at Fort Lewis College for 30 years until he retired in 1991 to paint full time.
His unassuming and friendly aspect belies his many shows and honors. "Nature is my spiritual center," says Englehart. His inspiration is found in the open wild hills, mesas and canyons of the mountains and deserts of southwestern Colorado and Utah. He has covered thousands of miles in active meditation on his bicycle and in his truck, camping in the solitude of Utah canyon country renewing mind and body and acquiring ideas and focus for the hundreds of paintings that flow from him onto his canvases. We can glimpse his experiences in the ethereal energy of his painted skies and the glowing beauty of the rock walls and distant horizons. "The land is so vital and dynamic and holds within it the story of how biologically creative life is. That's what my paintings reflect.”
