CHESTER ARNOLD (Suggested for Stage Six: Mastery)
Chester Arnold is a San Francisco Bay Area oil painter whose work explores contemporary landscapes and ordinary things. Each of his naturalistic paintings is a scene in the narrative, a juxtaposition of nature and the human presence. Arnold embraces the craft of painting but eschews traditional, romantic portrayals of the natural environment. He chooses instead to depict the landscape as we encounter it, warts and all. He’s moved by the realness of everyday life and describes painting a stack of books as “almost a religious experience.” Hear how he expands on that and more in his engaging conversation with Nick.