For the next 12 days starting on Christmas Day and ending on January 5th (the traditional “12 Days Of Christmas”) I will be featuring 12 equine artists. Over 80 artists entered in the contest to be featured on our Facebook group Art Of The Horse (which has over 3,400 members!). I used this handy tool to randomly pick 12 of the entrants to be featured on TFS. For day three, we are going to travel to the American West and see the fantastic western paintings by Marlin Rotach!
Marlin Rotach
Born in Salina, Kansas, USA
From my earliest memories, art has always played a role in my life. My father was a commercial artist as well as a stock horse trainer. I grew up with cowboys, horses, billboard layouts, type books, paint and brushes, and most importantly encouragement. These beginnings additionally instilled an interest in fine art, art history and a passion for the American West. When thinking of the artists that I have most admired, they all had one common thread. They created dramatic impact in their works through a profound understanding of light. Therefore, like my artistic heroes, my images are primarily concerned with the various qualities of light and shadow. I have worked in many mediums including acrylics, silkscreens, linocuts and art glass lamps. However, my favorite and signature medium is transparent watercolor.
I have done many commissions in my career and continue to do a select few yearly. I was strictly a portrait painter for a number of years, but no longer do human portraits. I love painting horse portraits. My most challenging commission was for Kansas City’s Union Station. It is a depiction of the Harvey House Restaurant circa 1930’s at Union Station when it was Fred Harvey’s flagship. For a watercolor it is monumental in scale, 50″X 40″ and depicts more than 50 figures. It permanently hangs in the Grand Pavilion at Union Station.
I am represented by The American Legacy Gallery (Kansas City), Sorrel Sky Gallery(Santa Fe), Trailside Galleries (Scottsdale & Jackson Hole). I exhibit in many invitationals with this year’s line up including Cheyenne Frontier Days (WY), America’s Horse in Art (TX), Bosque Art Classic (TX), Small Works, Great Wonders (OK). My website is always up to date and shows up-coming events as well as past accomplishments.
Art Of The Horse 