Scott Coulter has painted landscapes for 50 years. And since the day he first applied oils to canvas, his extensive training has come via trial and error.

With no schooling or formal lessons, the artist has simply honed his craft by exploring what works and what doesn’t, a process he describes as endless. “Anyone who tells you they’ve got this figured out is crazy,” Coulter says. “I’ll never stop learning until the day I fall over at an art show.”

The honing has proved to be impressive. So much so, Coulter’s large-scale paintings come to life only through the purest fashion – meticulous brush strokes. No airbrushes. No digital assistance. No enhancements of any kind. Just what experience teaches him and what his decades in nature tell him looks right. The result is his unique style, which appears hyperrealistic from a distance while more impressionistic up close.

Coulter has also transitioned from oils to acrylics as he prefers working fast. His 60-inch by 96-inch “Spirit Island” was completed in just two weeks. The diptych piece is set in Canada’s Jasper National Park and designed to immerse viewers fully into the scene. “I created as much volume as possible to make the painting feel atmospheric,” he says. “From my feet to the horizon, I wanted people to see everything as if they were standing there.” Coulter goes on to describe how volume comes from dividing the landscape into several planes, each with its own color value.

Another aspect of the painting is its hard-edged graphic element defined by one of the shifts in value. Framing the trees reflects a recent approach Coulter has incorporated into his work. “I desired something different from my paintings,” he says. “At first glance people assumed they were photographs, but now these elements invite them in for further inspection.”

Coulter’s paintings have received high acclaim, including Best of Show at the 2023 Gasparilla Art Festival. The artist and his wife (a talented jeweler) attend outdoor art shows across the country and split their time between Minnesota and Florida. To view more work, visit scottcoulter.net.