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  Bruce
A. Aiken
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Few people are as intimate
with the Grand Canyon as Bruce Aiken. For over thirty years, this
magnificent landscape has been his home, his livelihood, and his inspiration.
Here, Bruce
and his wife, Mary, have lived for more than thirty years, tending the park's
water supply at Roaring Springs and raising their family of three children.
Here, too, Bruce Aiken's art has flourished.
Born in Greenwich Village on Manhattan
Island, Bruce's first artistic inspiration came from his mother, who was a
painter. She taught him the basics of brushwork and color, and related stories
of her childhood in the Southwest. Bruce built on these basics by studying
at the Art Students' League in New
York, the School of Visual Arts, and under William Williams and Frank Roth. 
At age 20, Bruce came out west to visit the vast, dramatic land forms his mother had described. Soon, he moved to Arizona
and continued his studies at Phoenix College under preeminent Southwest artist, Merrill Mahaffey.
When Bruce first arrived at Grand Canyon, he found it an intimidating subject
to render. So, he began by studying its geology, botany and wildlife, and exploring
its remote inner reaches and side canyons. Finally, he was ready
to put paint on canvas.
Bruce Aiken's paintings of Grand Canyon's varied landscapes
and mesmerizing beauty are unparalleled. The vivid colors, intimate details,
and conceptual artistry found in his work lend distinction to his own, unique
style that some art critics have labeled "authoritative realism."
As Bruce says, "My main idea is to paint scenes that say, 'I was here. I saw
this. This is a first-hand experience.' Grand Canyon is not only big and beautiful,
it's pristine living... it's still wild to me." Indeed, no other artist has
captured the wild, eternal essence of Grand Canyon in the way Bruce Aiken has.
Contact the Artist:
Email: Bruce Aiken
Mail: 113 N. San Francisco St., Suite 209, Flagstaff, AZ 86001-5211,
USA
Phone: 928-226-2882
Photo © Beth Trepper
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