Curt Walters is a storied Sedona artist and one of the most notable Grand Canyon painters in the entire world. But throughout his long career, there was one thing he hadn’t done until recently: publish a book about his life and work. But that all changed just a few months ago. “Resilience: The Life and Grand Canyon Art of Curt Walters” was released in January and was written by his grandson, dDamian Foreman, and edited by Susan McGarry. The book has been in the works for 10 years. Why release the expansive, 387-page book now?
“I felt that I’m at the age where I have no more secrets, and I think anyone that knows me knows all my quirks anyway. I felt like I wanted to tell my story in my words before I leave this Earth. So that there is a record of my art and the way I felt about it. That’s really what it is. Without a book, you have no life after death. That is the simple reality of it, and I think it will be worth it in the long run.” The book chronicles Curt’s life, work and how he felt about his paintings. The pages are filled with pictures of his many paintings and discuss his work throughout the past few decades. What was it like for him to revisit his long list of achievements? Surprising. Curt was experiencing a lot of turmoil in the ‘80s and didn’t want to revisit his past work since he didn’t feel great about the art he was creating, but in order to complete the book, he had to.
“They have become my favorite paintings,” he says. “They totally tell my life story. It’s in the paintings.” Part of his story is also intertwined with Sedona. Curt has lived in Sedona since 1979. Red Rock Country has served as a source of inspiration for him for decades. “What I can really say is that living in Sedona has been such a blessing to me and getting to know so many people that live here and that are such great supporters of my work and the ability to paint everything within a minute,” he says. “What a beautiful place we get to live in.” − Teresa K. Traverse
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