The Art of Niles Nordquist

A native of California, Niles Nordquist is equally at home painting the beauty of the Pacific coast, the majesty of the mountains of the West, or the solitude of the California deserts and backcountry. His early childhood lived on the Oregon coast, and summers spent at his parents' home place in Montana, shaped his love for splendid natural landscapes. As a young boy, he spent much time exploring, hiking, and camping in back country. He often wandered away from the group, pursuing an eye-catching glimpse, blazing a new trail. Thus, Nordquist has developed over his lifetime an eye trained to capture the nuances of nature and the landscape. His paintings reflect the timelessness of God's creation in special places. He searches for the uncommon view of a place, one that is not only new to him, but also that displays the powerful effects of light, that captures the sense of place and time, the essence of the present moment. Occasionally, this search leads him to paint many miles off road in perfect solitude, and, in 2007 led him to the summit of Mt. Whitney, and in 2010 to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro with his wife, Judy. Nordquist paints en plein aire and in his Star, Idaho studio, expanding smaller studies into larger works. He accepts private commissions. He has studied with Scott Christensen, John Budicin, Joseph Bohler, Charles Reid and Robert Reynolds. Nordquist has exhibited in various shows with California Art Club and Oil Painters of America, as well as in many national juried shows and plein air festivals. His desire is to continue painting great places - "and what great places we have".