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There have always been two constants in Ilene Reed’s life – a love of wildlife and a love for art. Ilene Reed is a self-taught Colorado wildlife artist. Creating award winning paintings of the natural world, her work allows her to constantly explore new methods and techniques inviting the viewer to see wildlife in diverse ways. Inspired by nature, reading and her imagination, she began honing her talents. Reed left a business career to pursue the arts.
Her signature detailed style was popularized through a series of wildlife paintings involving oil on canvas. Award winning Ilene Reed's sunbeam luminous paintings resonate spiritual and aesthetic ambience.
She began drawing and painting her native scenes as a youngster. Recognition for her artwork began at an early age, winning her a first place blue ribbon in a state-wide, second grade, art competition while attending Kemp Elementary in Aurora, Colorado. She started wildlife oil painting with formal instruction and encouragement from her high school art teacher.
She gets to know the art subject, studies the environment and then incorporates the lighting to reflect on the canvas using oil as her medium of choice. Each wildlife painting demonstrates her love of animals and is designed to inspire and reaffirm the beauty and transcendent lighting that exists in the hidden wilderness.
Currently, she lives in a rural area of Colorado abundant with wildlife surrounded by tall Ponderosa pine trees overlooking the Rocky Mountains. From her studio she enjoys the wildlife which provides inspiration for the subjects of her paintings. This website was created to display some of her paintings. She hopes you enjoy them.
October 13, 2016
"Horse Play by Ilene Reed is filled with movement, life, playfulness and contagious energy." In case the viewer is wondering about how fast the gallop may be, the lovely, well defined streaks trailing behind the horses reveal the intensity, energy, focus and commitment to the run. They have come far, made it though the boulders and are now racing in a clear open stretch.
I love the detail in the flying manes, the high tails, the excited water, and the playfulness which seems evident in the white horse. The lead horse is most intent and serious, the side horses following the leader appear to understand how to be and what is expected as they dash along.
The white horse tells me this is no an emergency, this is not life or death, this is just running. His head is slightly bowed forward suggesting he is the one having the most fun and not "appreciating" the seriousness of the run. His nose leaning toward the water, maybe trying to catch a splash, frolicking forward. His posture looks gleeful and goofy in the pleasure of just having fun, kicking up water, and enjoying the experience."