Spike Ress - Although Ress was born in New York, he has spent most of his life in the southwestern U.S. Late In the 1970's he left a career in commercial art to pursue fine art full-time. Over the past twenty-five years Spike Ress has achieved a national reputation for his distinctive use of the watercolor medium. In recent years Spike has returned to painting in oil on location. He continues to work in both media. Ress now makes his home in southern Utah, surrounded by the canyon and high desert plateau country he most enjoys painting.

It is my desire as a painter to react to the scene before me with an immediate and honest approach. For me, this is the best way to convey a feeling of presence to the viewer. I want my paintings to feel the way a place felt, not just look the way a place looked. I can’t say whether I achieve this elusive feeling with every painting, ultimately, that is for the viewer to decide.