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Colorado animal artists visit Vail gallery

Special to the Daily
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Friday and Saturday, Cogswell Gallery hosts two of their Colorado animal artists in residence to show their new works and give demonstrations. Bronze sculptor Daniel Glanz and oil painter Dwayne Brech will be at the gallery today and Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. Glanz is bringing two new clay pieces to work on during the show and Brech will paint a small study during the event.

Glanz lives in the Loveland area. He is well-known and admired for his animal sculpture, particularly dogs. He has a very life-like full sized Golden Retriever in the gallery, as well as a bust of a Golden Retriever. Visitors to the gallery often say that the Goldens look just like their dogs, and smile nostalgically as they miss their dog at home. Glanz has sculpted many breeds of dogs, eagerly acquired by dog fanciers. He also has some wonderful horse and wildlife sculpture that are much admired. He is able to portray the feeling and personality of the animal through his sculpture, and travels extensively to gather references for his birds and wildlife sculpture. He does tabletop bronzes as well as monumental sculpture, some of which are in the Vail Village next to Solaris. He also has monumental works placed throughout the country in other public art programs, in addition to pieces in private collections in the United States, Canada and Europe. He’s won many awards for his sculpture, including the “best sculpture” award at the Representing the West Exhibition for two consecutive years.

Brech grew up drawing alongside his older brother. In middle school, he began taking painting classes to add color and life to his artwork. Brech grew up in a rural environment, surrounded by horses, so he began drawing and painting them. He later expanded to painting different animals. His goal is to capture the life and personality of the animal, and likes to observe them in their natural habitat. His hope is to create an interest and excitement to his viewers. He worked for Western Horsemen for 27 years as an illustrator and art director. Brech has spent many years painting outside, which enables him to capture the color and light of the landscape, making his paintings more realistic. Photos can’t capture the feeling and color that actually painting from life can.



“Art instruction provides the fundamentals necessary for an artist to make judgments regarding his approach and technique,” Brech said. “Beyond that, it takes getting outdoors to observe color, lighting conditions, and atmosphere. I have found that being there, where the scene influences me, enables me to put believability in my work. The mood present at the scene becomes the heart of the finished piece.”


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