Steamboat Art Museum Show

Four master Western landscape painters—Ralph Oberg, Matt Smith, Skip Whitcomb, and Dan Young—gather for an intimate 55-minute conversation reflecting on 30 years of friendship, artistic growth, and painting the American West together. This candid discussion coincides with their groundbreaking exhibition "Four Directions Common Paths" at the Steamboat Art Museum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado (December 4th, 2020).

What You'll Discover in This Conversation

• How 30+ years of non-competitive friendship has shaped their artistic evolution

• Why plein air painting outdoors is essential to creating authentic studio work

• The role of failure and experimentation in developing as an artist

• How each artist's unique vision transforms the same landscape differently

• Personal stories from painting trips to remote wilderness areas

• The balance between photographic reference and direct observation

• Why community and peer support are crucial in what can be a lonely profession

About the Exhibition

This rare four-artist retrospective features decades of work from each painter, including personal collection pieces never before exhibited publicly, field studies from shared painting expeditions, and new work created specifically for the show. The artists discuss how their friendship has allowed them to grow collectively while maintaining their individual artistic voices—proving that art is about collaboration and mutual support, not competition.