HUGH GREER | 2ND PLACE
2025 LANDSCAPES COMPETITION

Hugh Greer’s landscapes are extraordinary studies in light, color, contrast, and composition. With a discerning eye and skilled hand, he captures nature’s elements, creating beautiful visual narratives.

The Wichita-based artist, whose medium of choice is acrylic, often includes structures in his paintings such as houses, barns, and fences, a reflection of his first career as an architectural illustrator. Greer’s award-winning paintings have been shown and exhibited extensively.

We talked to him recently about his work.

How does weather, season, and architecture factor into your choice of subject?

It’s funny you should mention the impact weather has in choosing the landscapes I paint because it often plays a major role. We have four distinct seasons in Kansas and I enjoy painting all of them (usually the one I’m in at the time), but I think fall is my favorite because I love stormy skies and foggy mornings. They’re so still; they seem tranquil to me.

I was an architectural illustrator for 40 years and rigid, crisp lines were essential in my job, so It’s hard for me to paint a landscape without putting a structure in it. I think a recognizable structure of some sort also provides scale to the painting.

In your painting, “Welcome Spring,” it seems to represent the in-between season of winter lingering and spring beginning. What do you want viewers to experience when they see the painting?

I paint a lot around Wichita including the nearby Flint Hills which is mostly where cattle ranching takes place (cowboy stuff for real!). This was the location for “Welcome Spring.”

This piece was inspired by an overcast, foggy day with lots of grays and dull browns. Then I saw all that new spring color with the redbud trees showing off, providing a contrast with the pure white snow and bright green of the emerging wheat. To me that painting seems to send a message that out of all that gloom there is a new day ahead!

I’m one of those people who love winter and hate to see it end, while others dislike it and can’t wait for the first sign of spring. Regarding “Welcome Spring,” maybe I can appeal to both types of personalities. Nevertheless, I want viewers to be inspired, no matter what the subject. (I really want them to say “I have to have that painting!” Hey, this isn’t a hobby. I make my living by selling my art!)

How do you treat light and its effects on color in your work?

Light and color go hand in hand. I try to use light to create a strong center of interest, but sometimes a bright pure color can also do that.

Several of your recent paintings are from New Mexico. Can you tell us why that landscape inspires your work?

I love the Prairie, but the high country is special and it’s always a visual treat to visit Santa Fe and Taos. The atmosphere and light often create a magic moment that I try to capture in a painting. I can understand how so many artists stay there once they experience the area.

Greer is represented by Santa Fe Trails Fine Art, New Mexico.

All images © Hugh Greer, shared with permission.