Few people are as intimate with the Grand Canyon as Bruce Aiken. For over twenty years, this magnificant landscape has been his home, his livelihood, and his inspiration. Here, Bruce and his wife, Mary, have lived for more than twenty years, tending the park's water supply at Roaring Springs and raising their family of three children. Here, too, Bruce Aiken's art has flourished.

Born in Greenwich Village on Manhatten Island, Bruce's first artistic inspiration came from his mother, who was a painter. She taught him the basics of brushwork and color, and related stories of her childhood in the Southwest. Bruce built on these basics by studying at the Art Students' League in New York, the School of Visual Arts, and under William Williams and Frank Roth.

At age 20, Bruce came out west to visit the vast, dramatic land forms his mother had described. Soon, he moved to Arizona and continued his studies at Phoenix College under preeminent Southwest artist, Merrill Mahaffey.

When Bruce first arrived at Grand Canyon, he found it an intimidating subject to render. So, he began by studying its geology, botony and wildlife, and exploring its remote inner reaches and side canyons. Finally, he was ready to put paint on canvas.

Bruce Aiken's paintings of Grand Canyon's varied landscapes and mesmerizing beauty are unparalleled. The vivid colors, intimate details, and conceptual artistry found in his work lend distinction to his own, unique style that some art critics have labeled "authoritative realism."

As Bruce says, "My main idea is to paint scenes that say, 'I was here. I saw this. This is a first-hand experience.' Grand Canyon is not only big and beautiful, it's pristine living.....it's still wild to me."

Indeed, no other artist has captured the wild, eternal essence of Grand Canyon in the way Bruce Aiken does.

For information and how to order artwork originals, lithographs,
postcards, greeting card posters and more visit Bruce at
www.bruceaiken.com

While you are visiting the Grand Canyon you can see Bruce's artwork on display at the El Tovar Hotel.

All pictures and text are © copyright 1999 by Bruce Aiken and have been used with his permission.