At age 18, Blair Atherholt set out on an undergraduate Pre-Med course of study at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, at exam time, when Blair thumbed through his notebooks from his classes, he came face to face with the reality that the notebooks were full of drawings and sketches instead of theorems and equations.
From that day forward, Blair determined not to pursue a medical career but an art career instead. He entered the Schuler School of Fine Arts in 2011 in pursuit of learning the techniques and disciplines of the Old Masters. The life works of Hans Schuler, Sr. (1874-1951) and Jacques Maroger (1884-1962) and their dedication to excellence in art represent the hallmark of the Schuler School and its mission in training students of the school.
Now at age 27, having pursued a full-time oil painting career since graduating Schuler, Blair is focused upon traditional still life painting made distinctively his own with contemporary, imaginative subject matter. He strives with each new painting to improve his control of the medium, one measured brushstroke at a time.
His work has been included in multiple national shows, and has been honored to receive numerous awards. These include Best Still Life in the 2019 National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Small Works Show, the Gary T. Erbe Award at the Allied Artists of America's 105th Annual Exhibition, Finalist in the International Artist Magazine's Still Life Challenge, and as an Honorable Mention in the 13th Annual Art Renewal Center Salon. His work is also part of numerous public and private collections.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 14th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.