Originally from Southern California, Rick Wheeler moved to the woodlands of Northern California in 1972 to pursue an art education. While obtaining an Associates of Arts degree in Graphic Design, he also studied studio arts, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and filmmaking. Part of his education included courses at two of San Francisco’s most notable art colleges - the San Francisco Art Institute, where he was awarded a scholarship to attend, and the San Francisco Academy of Art, where he studied illustration. He also holds a B.A. degree in Fine Art from Prescott College, Arizona.
In 1994 Rick left California for the Four Corners region of the southwest U.S. Since that time he has lived in southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, and southern Arizona. He has been heavily influenced by the light, color, and forms of the desert southwest - both in terms of the land and it’s people - and he enjoys hiking and painting the terrain as much as possible. As an artist, Rick feels being a keen observer of the natural world is as important as the tools with which those observations are rendered. His art pursuits have led to his interest in conservation and the preservation of open space and wildlife habitat. He is currently a member of the Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, Defenders of Wildlife, and National Parks Conservation Association.
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