Luke Frazier began sculpting and drawing at a young age, encouraged by his creative father, Jesse. The two embarked upon many memorable road trips into the deserts of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, where they treasure-hunted for arrowheads, interesting stones, shed antlers, and lost artifacts. Luke vividly recalls camping under the stars, huddling by campfires, and listening to his father’s stories of days gone by.
The middle-child in a combined family of 16 siblings, Luke and his brothers hunted, fished, and trapped to provide for the household. Those early forays outdoors made lasting impressions and taught valuable lessons about responsibility, the value of hard work, and the bond of family.
In the way storytellers engage and hold audiences’ attention with descriptive language and creative mental images, Luke’s paintings inspire viewers’ imaginations by hinting at messages visually and emotionally. A keen observer, Luke immerses himself in his surroundings and his rugged and mature style skillfully captures the anatomy and presence of the subjects he paints. Preferring early morning or evening light, Luke creates scenes from his memories and experiences in the woods, mountains, and on the water. His artistic style leans towards impressionistic or representational. “I try to be as accurate as possible with my drawings of anatomies, and creative with my compositions,” he said recently in his studio.
An avid sportsman, Luke has traveled from Alaska to Africa. His passions include raising and training bird dogs, hunting and fishing, and photographing wildlife in their natural habitat. All of these things have fortified his vision in what he creates. Luke loves to research his subjects and feels much can be learned from the past.
“Art and history go hand-in-hand,” he said. “Artists have always documented the times in which they lived. Each artist has a voice, a different point of view of the world. We appreciate the details history provides and we soak those details up, learning how our forefathers solved their questions with the tools they had. Spending time at museums, studying the masters, visiting living artists – learning all you can – is a huge and very enjoyable part of the process.”
Luke received his formal art training at Utah State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in painting and a Master of Fine Art degree in illustration. “I want to offer up the natural world from a different point of view, whether that be bombastic, nostalgic, or subtle. I feel that a well-executed work of art should have emotional power – an element that grabs the viewer by the eyeballs and punches them in the ear. I want to tell a story with my work, not by laying it all out there for the viewer, but rather by leaving questions unanswered. I am in awe of the beauty in nature, from the grandiose, to the smallest, exquisite detail – the handiwork of ‘The Almighty.’”
Source/Submitted by: Luke Frazier (January 2023)
Luke Frazier (b. 1970 -)
The career of Luke Frazier has grown and flourished for over 30 years, which has established him as a prominent and respected artist. His work is now found not only in the leading galleries across the country, but in permanent collections of museums and in major shows, and museum shows such as the prestigious Prix De West show held in Oklahoma City every year, the Masters of the American West held at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles annually, and many more. In July of 2000, Frazier was honored to join 40 other artists at "Wildlife for a New Century," an international invitational exhibit at the National Museum of Wildlife Art
Frazier's work has been included in the book Leading the West, written by Don Hagerty, in conjunction with Southwest Art magazine, and published by Northland Press in 1997. The book profiles 100 of the best living painters and sculptors working today. In 2007 Frazier was included in the new book The Fine Art of Angling, and his work The Tillamook Creel adorned the cover. Earlier in 2007, Frazier was chosen to be the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival featured artist. In 2010 Frazier was honored to be the featured artist for the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, in Charleston South Carolina. He has been profiled in Art of the West, Wildlife Art, Big Sky Journal and Southwest Art. His paintings frequently appear in Field & Stream, Gray's Sporting Journal, Sporting Classics and Alaska.
To portray the wildlife and sporting subject matter he paints, at the level exhibited, you have to not only love it, but you have to get out in it and experience it. The artist is known to still do just that even today, hunting and fishing from the North American Rocky Mountains, up into Canada and into Alaska. This first-hand observation and experiencing nature has become a hallmark of his artwork. His passion is obvious as seen in his subjects and the manner in which they are rendered. The artist has stated he appreciates, and respects, the strength of drawing, color and emotion correctly applied into his work.
This enthusiasm and work ethic have propelled his career to high levels of accomplishment. No longer just another "wild life artist", his work is studied by the younger artist that will follow along behind him, just as he studied artist like Carl Rungius, Bob Kuhn, Edgar Payne and more. The awards, the articles in the major media publications, the invitations to participate in the major shows - are all now part of his career legacy. Even the highest accolade an artist can receive is accomplished, which is when people are willing to pull money out of their pockets and buy his artwork. That has been established as fact, not speculation, for a number of years as mentioned above. It is now more of an issue of Economics 101 - - supply and demand - - not if the art of Luke Frazier is a sound acquisition.
Luke Frazier was born and raised in northern Utah. He grew up in the mountains, hunting and fishing. These early forays into nature instilled in him a kinship with the wildlife and a passion for the outdoors.
As a child he spent hours sketching and sculpting wildlife, displaying an intuitive artistic flair. A graduate of Utah State University, Frazier earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and a Master of Fine Arts degree in illustration. Capturing the majesty and ambiance of Western wildlife is Frazier's objective, and he describes his work as representational.
Frazier's wildlife and sporting paintings are in collections around the world. Luke enjoys meeting the people who collect his work especially those who share his affection for the outdoors.
Influenced by such artists as Winslow Homer, Edgar Payne, Bruno Liljefors, Carl Rungius, Rein Poortvliet, Phillip Goodwin, and Bob Kuhn, Luke appreciates the strength of drawing, color and emotion put into their pieces.
Mr. Frazier's work has been included in the book Leading the West (Northland Press, 1997) written by Don Hagerty, in conjunction with Southwest Art magazine. The book profiles 100 of the best living artists and sculptors working today. Frazier has had feature articles in Art of the West, Wildlife Art, Big Sky Journal and Southwest Art. Luke's paintings frequently appear in Field & Stream, Gray's Sporting Journal, Sporting Classics and Alaska.
Frazier's paintings have been exhibited at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, Wyoming; the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California; the Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona; the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana; and the Kimball Art Center, Park City, Utah.
Among his awards are the Wildlife Art Award from the Art for the Park competition in 1994, 1996, and 1997, recognized on the National Parks stamp.
This last July, Frazier was honored to join 40 other artists at "Wildlife for a New Century," an international invitational exhibit at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Most recently, Frazier has been invited to the prestigious Prix de West invitational, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Luke is humbled and honored to exhibit with the most accomplished artists alive. His highest honors are those given by his fellow artists. Luke and his wife Angie have three children and live in Utah.
Luke Frazier grew up hunting and fishing in the mountains of northern Utah. These early forays into nature instilled a kinship with the wildlife, and a passion for the outdoors. As a child, he spent hours scribbling, sketching and sculpting wildlife. Later, his formal art training occurred at Utah State University, here he earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in painting and a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Illustration.
Every year, Frazier travels through Alaska, Canada, and the American West painting and photographing animals in their environment. His love of fly fishing and hunting is apparent in his work. Influenced by the art of Winslow Homer, Edgar Payne, Bruno Liljefors, Carl Rungius and Bob Kuhn, Frazier appreciates the strength of drawing, color and emotion put into their pieces.
Frazier's work has been included in the book Leading The West, written by Don Hagerty, in conjunction with Southwest Art magazine, and published by Northland Press in 1997. The book profiles 100 of the best living painters and sculptors working today. He has been profiled in Art of the West, Wildlife Art, Big Sky Journal and Southwest Art. His paintings frequently appear in Field & Stream, Gray's Sporting Journal Sporting Classics and Alaska.
He received the Wildlife Art Award from the Art for the Parks competition in 1994, 1996, and 1997, and he is recognized on the National Parks stamp.
Resource: Prix de West, 2002 Invitational Exhibition Catalog
