Collection: Dave Santillanes

Dave Santillanes*

A self-taught artist, Dave Santillanes began painting shortly after graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Graphic Design. Celebrated for his mastery of light and atmosphere, he attributes this achievement to many years of painting outdoors. Yet, as he explains, plein air work offers more than technical refinement:

“The sensory experience of being there is equally important. There’s no better way to really know a place than to sit for a couple of hours and contemplate it while painting. This intense observation brings a spiritual intimacy with the scene that can’t be achieved in mere passing, and allows me to ‘speak’ with complete sincerity in each painting.”

Santillanes’s dedication to his craft has earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the Henry Farny Award (Best Painting) and the Victor Higgins Award (Best Body of Work) at the 2025 Quest for the West show in Indianapolis; the Anne Marion Best in Show Award at the 2024 Cowboy Artists of America show; Top Landscape at the 12th Annual International ARC Salon; and Grand Prize Overall at the 9th Annual Plein Air Salon. His work has appeared in Western Art & Architecture, Art of the West, Plein Air Magazine, and Southwest Art Magazine. In 2023, he was inducted into the esteemed Cowboy Artists of America.

Santillanes lives in Colorado with his wife, Heather—also an artist—and their daughter, Callie.

*Denotes new artist for 2026