Len Chmiel was born in Chicago, reared in California, and now resides atop a mesa in Hotchkiss, Colorado. Chmiel is a painter, but describes himself as an “artist’s artist,” with each painting he creates as an expression of himself. “I used to try to control everything, but now I allow my intuition to speak,” reflects Chmiel. “I try to stretch the truth of what the actual image is. I do paintings with recognizable subjects because I’m inspired by what I see; however, that is not my only intention. My intention is to expand the boundaries of realism rather than merely painting a facsimile.” Chmiel’s work is widely celebrated, collected, awarded and published.

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Chmiel says of this painting: “A trip home from Grand Junction with Maizie, my golden retriever, always included a walk in this favorite canyon leading to the Gunnison River. The visual oxymoron of snow and cactus was irresistible.”