Glenn Dean’s childhood interest in art matured into a love of painting landscapes by his early twenties. Exposure to the California and Western landscape painters of the early 1900’s had a great influence on the young artist, and directed the course of his career early on. In the works of such masters as Edgar Payne and Maynard Dixon, Dean saw the “importance of seeing the color of light” while “carefully observing the simple and basic characteristics of a specific location.”
A largely self-taught Artist, Dean has a passion and joy for discovering answers to the complexities found in the works of those past masters and continues to strive for a similar quality in his own work. In recent years, Dean has turned his attention to the figure within the landscape as he brings the figure closer to the forefront. It is the relationship between the figure and his surroundings which intrigues Dean.
Dean gained recognition early in his career. He has been honored as the cover artist for Western Art Collector magazine 3 times and has appeared in several national magazines including: Western Art and Architecture, Art of the West (cover artist), Southwest Art, Western Horseman (cover artist) and American Artist magazine. Dean has won a number of awards including the Henry Farny award for Best Painting at the Eiteljorg Museum’s Quest for the West in 2018. In 2017, Glenn won the Artist Choice Award at Quest for the West and in 2016, Glenn was the recipient of the Victor Higgins Award for the Best overall Body of Work at Quest for the West. Other select awards include the Gold Thunderbird Award (Best of Show) at Maynard Dixon Country. Select awards include the first ever Emerging Artist Award presented by Art and Antiques Magazine, and the Grand Prize and Artist Choice Award at the inaugural Tucson/Sonoran Desert Museum Plein Air Invitational.
Dean paints on-location throughout the Southwest, dividing his time between deserts, mountains, and coastal subjects. Time in the field and in the studio are equally important to Dean. While working in his studio, Dean is able to paint larger compositions worked from field studies and other references. Dean and his wife, Suzanne, live in their native state of California on the Central Coast.
