Stephen Quiller Signature Products

Quiller researched and developed what is now known as the "Quiller color wheel" which was updated as late as 2007 and is now used by many thousands of painters around the world, interior designers and other craft people. The color wheel only uses colors rated 'lightfast' by the American Standard Trade Materials Association. This helps painters get the best and brightest colors while only using those that will last. Quiller also created instructional videos through Crystal Productions, a series of 12, and two more through the Richeson Company.

Stephen Quiller paints all over the world but he is well known for painting on his own home turf, which includes the mountains of Colorado. He paints many different subjects and has tried to show the natural beauty of the San Juan and Rocky Mountains comprises many different ways. He is also known for painting beaver ponds and natural dams as well as shadows on the snow, mountain rhythm and the wild iris that is found in Colorado. He also has painted water patterns, creating some incredible works of art. He is a key member of several artist's organizations including the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the Society for Painters in Acrylic and Casin, the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia and others. He received the Greathouse Medal as well as a cash prize in the 1997 edition of the American Watercolor Society exhibit.

Many of the top art magazines have featured Quiller's paintings on the cover and others have covered Quiller's art as a subject. He has also been a judge in many art exhibitions and has conducted workshops on a dizzying variety of subjects all over the United States. He teaches about water media in general, composition, use of color and painting on location. Stephen Quiller has a show at the Mission Gallery in Taos, New Mexico as well as at the Quiller Gallery in Creede, Colorado which is only open in the Summer.

Some of the awards that Stephen Quiller has won over the years include the John Wenger Memorial Award, the National Society for Painters in Casein and Acrylic New York Governor's Award, the 130th American Watercolor Society Exhibition, the Walser Greathouse Medal plus cash award, the Merit Award, the Colorado Arts Council Award, the Rocky Mountain National Media award, the Meritorious award twice as the purchase award, the Colorado Council of Fine Arts Exhibition, Who's Who in the West and in Colorado and the American Watercolor Society Traveling Exhibition award. The Oregon Watercolor Society has also presented him with the honor award. He is a member of the American Watercolor Society, the National Society for Painters in Casein and Acrylic, the National Watercolor Society and of Rocky Mountain National Water Media.

Some of Stephen Quiller's show locations have included the Berman, Bean and Berger Sandsen Art Museums as well as the Foothills Art Center in Colorado. The Lincoln Center, also in Colorado has shown Quiller's work and many venues outside of Stephen's home state have shown his artwork. The Klamath and Rogue Valley Art Associations in Oregon have both showcased Quiller's work as well as the Montalvo Center for the Arts in Saratoga, California. You can find Quiller products here and browse all that this great artist has to offer, with materials and tools that will help you to become a better artist.

* * *







A Word from Stephen Quiller

Dear Artist Friend:

To this day it is hard to believe I get to do this for a way of life. On the day that I took notes to write this newsletter, I found myself part way down a craggy slope, painting Copper Creek Falls, near my home in Creede, Colorado. To get to the site, I traversed boulder fields with my dog, Mickey. Part of the way I carried him, as he was unable to cross over some of the rocks. To my back, across a valley floor filled with trout streams and beaver ponds, was the San Juan Range and Bristol Head Mountain, a peak I have painted so many times. At the time I was filled with gratitude, knowing how blessed we all are. As I listened to the piercing chirp of the marmot, the songs of the high mountain birds, and the babble of the tumbling water, I realized that even with all the craziness in this world today, there is also goodness. We must be flexible and we must listen.

I am thankful for this summer. We have had good winter snows and ample summer rains, and now there is green and a burst of wildflowers. The earth is drinking it in. This autumn I am excited about traveling to Italy. I will do two eight-day workshops in Tuscany and the Venice area, and then with my wife Marta and daughter Allison will extend our trip through December. I hope to get a lot of painting in and have an opening at our gallery and on our Web site (www.quillergallery.com) on the Saturday of Valentine’s Day Weekend. If you have the chance, please take a look and see my new European work at that time.

In 2005 I'll be doing workshops in Phoenix for the Arizona Watercolor Society, Mexico for Artist Workshops Tours Agency, San Francisco for the California Watercolor Association, France with International Artist, England with the Jack Richeson Company, and Seattle with Northwest Watercolor Society, in addition to the three I do in Creede. I look forward on these occasions for meeting new artists, sharing knowledge, and seeing some great places to get a lot of good painting in. I hope you can join me at one of these venues!

There are two new products that we will have this year. First is the 13” X 13” porcelain palette that is designed to be a studio palette. It is very beautiful and is a great artist’s tool. It weighs 7 lbs., can be used for all painting media including oil, does not stain and is easy to clean. It is a bit more expensive to ship but is very much worth it. Also we have two new videos that are produced by the Jack Richeson Company. They were filmed last September. Both of these films were done in or around my studio in the mountains of Colorado. I am most pleased with their quality and feel that they will be great teaching tools. Both are over 2 ˝ hours in length and filled with information. As always, we carry the best in watermedia including watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and casein. Last year we introduced the Shiva oil line. We also have Unison pastels that are the top quality, handmade brand. The Richeson Premium Watercolor Paper is a fantastic paper. It is a paper developed for contemporary methods and techniques, and I feel it is the best paper I have ever used. We also have my color wheel, standard and travel palette, and the fantastic 7000 series Richeson watermedia brushes... Throughout the years fellow artists have found the books and videos invaluable tools for their own work...

We are all most fortunate to be able to do what we do. I feel there is not a better way for a person to spend his or her time than observing, reaching inside, and expressing. The love that goes into a work of art will always be there and will be felt by many. If everyone lived a life doing what he or she loved, the world would be a better place. We are living in a critical and crazy time and there is much turbulence in the world. I have found, as I travel to various spots on this globe, that people living everywhere are incredible. They have close-knit families and have pride in their communities and cultures. I am always treated with kindness and respect, and most of the people I meet have a genuine love for art. They are always pleased that an artist has taken time and sees beauty in the landscape where they live.

To create harmony on this earth we all need to adopt an approach similar to how I develop a painting. We must have a vision and a plan but be open and flexible to what might occur along the way. We cannot be rigid and force our way through this painting. In my plein air work I am open to the wind and nature’s elements, the sounds, the hand, the eye, the brain, the body movement, the paper, the paint and the water, the brushes, and the unknown spiritual forces that can enter into a painting. We must recognize that this is an ongoing creative process that we participate in and do not dominate. There has never been a time more important than our present time and the choices we make this coming autumn. It is my sincerest desire that we all look deeply and with wisdom, as we may not have an opportunity like this again.

I wish you the best with your painting process!

Stephen Quiller