(less)...
plein air) is Paco's favorite way to work and has taught him the most about painting. "An artist learns to paint quickly, distilling the landscape into its essential elements, simplifying shapes and capturing light before it changes - this is real painting," he says. His paintings are almost entirely derived from trips to nearby Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks, where there's an endless source of inspiring subjects and locations. "I've always believed an artist should paint that with which he is most familiar and cares the most about... so I do," continues Paco. He also believes that an artist must really spend time figuring out who they are and what they are about - then they should paint in a manner that reflects that personality. "I'm rough around the edges, so are my paintings. I'm impatient, spontaneous and restless and my paintings are direct and not burdened with unnecessary detail. Painting should be honest, passionate and from the artist's heart," says Paco.

Special requests for Paco's work include a 4' x 6' oil painting of the Old Faithful geyser that was commissioned by the National Park Service and permanently adorns the grand fireplace of the historic 100-year old "Old Faithful Inn" in Yellowstone National Park, and The Nebraska Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center commissioned an 8' x 6' painting of a standing grizzly on the plains for permanent installation in their new visitors' center. The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum recently purchased Paco's 2002 "Birds in Art" oil titled "Light Dance" for the museum's permanent collection. His work is widely collected by private collectors including Tom Weiskoff, Howard Terpening, Beretta Firearms, the Jackson State Bank and Ted Turner. His work has been featured in several magazine articles and publications including Wildlife Art, InformArt, US Art, Sporting Classics and Big Sky Journal. In addition, two books have represented Paco's work -"Painting Birds Step-by-Step" and "The Best of Wildlife Art".

Paco was born in Mississippi in 1958 and spent his early years growing up in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended and graduated from the Memphis Academy of Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and a minor in sculpture. Upon graduation, he began painting and selling landscapes and figurative works full-time. He has traveled extensively and exhibited at hundreds of gallery and museum shows including Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, C.M. Russell Museum, Gilcrease Museum, Wild Horse Gallery and the Trailside Galleries.