Randy van Beek (Washington, b. 1958), autumn landscape with aspens, oil on canvas, signed lower right

sight: 24 x 36 in., frame: 33.5 x 45.5 in.

Provenance: Property from the Estate of Robert A. "Bob" Funk Sr. - trailblazing American businessman, philanthropist, and rancher, from his impressive ranch headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Randy Van Beek pursued no formal art training after high school, instead developing his skills independently through extensive study of the techniques of master artists in the art library of Western Washington University and through visits to museums in the United States and Europe. He was particularly influenced by eighteenth-century Dutch and Austrian masters and nineteenth-century American painters of the Hudson River School. His traditional realist style incorporates glazing techniques and transparent layers of color to create luminous depth. Working from outdoor studies and photographs, Van Beek creates a wide range of subjects, sometimes incorporating figures, children, or wildlife into more complex, story-driven compositions.