Alan Kruse

A lifelong student of nature, Alan has spent many hours in the field - from central Kansas to the Rocky Mountains of the West. It is his love of the outdoors that compels Alan to focus on wildlife, landscape, and Native American art. Growing up in the open country of northwestern Kansas, in the small town of Bird City, Alan developed a keen interest and knowledge of the region’s wildlife and landscape. Capturing his environment in paint, he admits is “a natural pursuit for somebody who just loves nature.”

Throughout Alan’s early childhood, he spent many weekends fishing with his late father, George, in Nebraska, where he developed his early appreciation of nature and the outdoors. In kindergarten, Alan began drawing on scrap cardboard, and in early high school his mother, Velma, arranged for a formal oil painting class by Taos artist, Darrell (Skip) Elliott. After many years of painting in both oils and acrylics, Alan has now settled exclusively into oil painting. The recent painting classes of well-known national and international artists have inspired this transition. In 1999 and 2001, Alan attended classes by Jim Wilcox from Jackson, Wyoming. Jim is one of the most accomplished and award winning artists in America today. His plein-air studies and inspiring canvases have placed him among the great painters of the American landscape. In 2000, Alan also attended a class sponsored by the Beartooth School of Art of Montana, featuring instructors John Seerey-Lester and Paco Young. John is a world-renowned wildlife artist from England, who focuses on Asian, African and North American wildlife. Paco was the co-owner of the Beartooth School of Art and is well know nationally for his breathtaking plein-air wildlife and landscape paintings of Yellowstone and Montana. Paco passed away in December 2005 from leukemia. In 2003, Alan joined David Wade in his class focusing on wildlife art. David is also nationally known and recently won the coveted Major Pittman Wildlife Award at the 2003 Prix de West Show. Alan had the honor in 2004 of being selected for the first Jim Wilcox’ Masters Class in Jackson, Wyoming.

For Alan, the creative process begins with extensive field experience. His unique understanding and vision are drawn from countless hours studying, viewing, sketching, and photographing wildlife and nature. He notes, “Animals in the wild, don’t pose for you. To portray them with authenticity, one has to be there with them to sense the true feeling of the species. The more I learn about painting, nature, and Native Americans, the more I find there is to learn.”

Alan thanks his parents for their early influence, his father-in-law, Curt Huitt for his tireless hours of joint productive field trips, and most of all, his wife Debbie, for her endless support.

Alan Kruse’s art has received a great deal of recognition. From his gallery displays in Kansas, Colorado, and Arizona, to his multiple winnings of the “People’s Choice” award at the Kansas State Fair, his paintings now hang in private and corporate collections. Alan supports many local and national organizations that celebrate the art of nature. The journey continues for Alan, exploring the wilds of nature and learning the life of our Native Americans, while transferring their grandeur through paint for all to share.

Enjoy the journey!

Alan Kruse

Hutchinson, Kansas

620-663-8436

alan@alankruse.com