Jeff McKay

At the heart of each Jeff McKay painting is an indelible fondness of the American West. Family adventures across the Rocky Mountain states during his childhood sparked a keen interest in the western landscape. By the time he was six, Jeff’s father had taken him from the Badlands of South Dakota to Leadville’s Silver Dollar Saloon and down to the adobe-lined streets of Santa Fe. The images of the westward trips never faded, and they surfaced vividly as Jeff’s art evolved. Jeff began painting in 1998 as he longed for a hobby to help ease the stress of raising a family in modern times. After reading a Field and Stream article about an artist in Montana, the notion of becoming an artist was born, which eventually became his life- long dream. Jeff’s passion for painting soon crossed paths with his love for the Rocky Mountains, which fueled his desire to become a professional landscape artist. He began a decade-long journey to teach himself how to paint. Jeff spent years developing his craft, scoured over three hundred art books, and painted more than one thousand paintings in the pursuit of becoming a professional painter. Despite hundreds of setbacks, he never gave up. In 2015 he sought professional advice from renowned impressionist, Robert Moore, and during Robert’s workshop in Declo, Idaho, Jeff resolved to one day become a professional artist. Eventually his determination and work ethic materialized into a professional art career. After years of practice, his signature style of palette knife texture, color and composition evolved into one of the most recognizable styles in current western landscape art. Today, fine art galleries across the western United States represent Jeff McKay. When not painting in his studio he travels the Rocky Mountains in search of his next painting idea. Never forgetting from where he came, Jeff still resides in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas where he and his wife, Sandra, continue raising the last of their six children. Jeff believes that every failure in life is necessary for progress, but he also believes that every failure is temporary. Jeff speaks often of the importance of believing in  yourself, outworking your competition, having faith in God, and never giving up your dream…no matter what obstacles arise. Somehow, this belief shines through in every one of his paintings. His paintings encompass the true spirit of the American West, freedom without limits or boundaries and, most importantly, they give hope that dreams really do come true.