Gary Kapp

Art Brokerage: Gary Kapp American Artist: b. 1942. Gary Kapp was born in Ogden, Utah. When he was four, his father bought a ranch in Oregon, where Kapp lived until he left for college. He then graduated in 1966 from Brigham Young University in Utah with a degree in Art, although he had gone to study Engineering. He also spent one summer studying with Kenneth Riley, and spent some time as well with Charles Lee, an illustrator based out of Los Angeles, California. About this time, Kapp went to work for a motion picture studio, where he spent nearly ten years illustrating filmstrips, visualizing movies, and painting backdrops. This wasn't quite enough for Kapp, who painted every spare moment after work and on weekends. Finally, in 1976, he stopped doing commercial work and began to paint fine art full time. Of jumping in with both feet, Kapp says, "That first year was rough, but the next was much better and each year since has been even better." In the process of beginning his fine art career, Kapp discovered that his formative years on the ranch had had an effect on him: his favorite subject matter was Western. Kapp generally paints "small figures and emphasizes the moody lighting and dramatic landscapes," in his desire to demonstrate the majesty of the land in which he works. However, Kapp also paints mountain men, Native Americans and pioneers, enjoying "the rich history" he visualizes. His style of painting is realist, but there is a softness of edges and subtle shading, which suggests late 19th century romanticism. Original paintings wanted.