International Artist August-September 2025/No. 164

This month our Publishers’ Letter is dedicated to our longstanding writers and their departments and features. This includes our celebrity artist Harley Brown, who has been writing for us since issue #1. That’s right—27 years ago! Time flies when you’re having fun. Harley is a witty, wildly talented master painter, and just an all-around great person. If you read one column in this issue, read his. Insider tip from the publishers: Harley also has a very fun story as a guest on episode 21 of our podcast The American Art Collective. You can find our episodes on Spotify, Apple and Amazon, or just scan this QR code and listen now. Harley is a rockstar in the world of art and has been part of the team for almost three decades.…

Welcome to the August/September issue! I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer so far (and if you’re in the southern hemisphere, I hope it’s been a brisk and refreshing winter). This is the time of year where everyone seems to be spending time outside, traveling and plein air painting. The desire to get out there and create something is infectious. This past May, I headed to Washington, D.C., for the Portrait Society of America’s 27th annual Art of the Portrait Conference, and let me say, it was an incredible event. I had the priviledge of meeting with dozens of amazing individuals, all with a shared passion for art. The friendship and camaraderie is unmatched, not to mention the sheer volume of insightful workshops and demonstrations taking place throughout the…

Zoltán Boros Pest, Hungary, Böbe, colored pencil, 11½ x 8¼” (29 x 21 cm) Grand Prize is a four-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine Drawn to the Wild Zoltán Boros spends as much time as possible outdoors, observing nature and the behavior of animals in their natural environments. Often, he goes to the zoo to study his models up close, paying attention to elements like body structure and anatomy. “The muscular power of a wild boar, the strong grace of a stag, the wise curiosity of a fox, and the conflict between lion and buffalo are things that have always fired my imagination. Many of my works depict different species, both juxtaposed and in harmony,” says Boros. A self-taught artist, he practices realism but places a great deal of…

Gelderland, Netherlands, Yellow Frogscape, pastel pencil on Pastelmat paper, 9 x 9” (23 x 23 cm) My Inspiration Yellow Frogscape was inspired by my love of being in nature, especially those quiet moments in the forest when I slow down and notice the tiniest details. I’ve always been drawn to fragile, often overlooked creatures that seem to live on the edge of our awareness. The yellow frog, so small and still, became a symbol for that quiet beauty of nature—the kind that doesn’t ask for attention, but deserves to be seen. What fascinates me is how such a creature can feel like an extension of its surroundings, not separate from them. Through this work, I wanted to honor that delicate presence and give it space to simply exist. My Design Strategy…

Taiyuan, China, Lurking, charcoal, 12 x 18” (30 x 45½ cm) My Inspiration My inspiration for the painting Lurking comes from finding the temperament and beauty of this creature. My Design Strategy Secretary birds are so called because they look as if they are keeping a bunch of quilled pens behind their ears. But the question is how to squeeze its entire prepossessing feathers into a single drawing. So I made this secretary bird curled up, looking like it’s ready for sleep. However, its gnarled and menacing temperament should not be underestimated. It opens its blazing, powerful eyes, waiting in the dark, lurking for a good hunt. My Working Process The secretary bird’s features are mostly light colors. So I used charcoal to enhance the dark background color to create…

Michigan, USA, The Legend, oil, 48 x 72” (121 x 182 cm) My Inspiration Growing up on the Au Sable River, east of Grayling, Michigan, I was exposed to trout fishing at a very early age. My artistic fascination with this underwater photo, taken by well-known artist and nature photographer Graham Owen, is the multiplexity of colors and lights as they play through the water and reflect off the subject of the brown trout as well as the weeds and grasses on the river bottom. My Design Strategy I chose a large 48-by-72” canvas on which I could cover as many details as possible surrounding the main subject and capture the full realistic characteristics of every detail. The idea being to make the brown trout and his environment as realistic as…