Colter May Art

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been painting by moonlight.

I’ve been building a new series of works on paper inspired by wild places, and tomorrow 35 of these pieces will be on display at the Springville Museum of Art, Utah .

It’s a quick, one-night show from 6:30–8 PM, but If your in the area feel free to stop by a see the art in person!

I can still hear my professor rattling off the design principles:

Balance.
Texture.
Color.
Repetition.
Variety.

Then he made us paint the same still life over and over. Total Mr. Miyagi moment. I just wanted to skip to the cool stuff.

Fast-forward to life now, with painting happening in the edges of the day, and guess what? There’s a quiet joy in returning to simple scenes. Testing a few new colors on a hillside. Noticing the way light carves out shapes. Nothing dramatic—just enough to keep the eye curious and life anchored to design.

Over the past few months I’ve made a collection of thirty of these small works on paper, and they’ll be on display and for sale at the $100 Show at the Springville Museum of Art.

If you can make it, I’d love to see you there.
Dec 4, 6:30–8 PM

Wow, the month of May is flying by! For a variety of reasons this month is one of my favorites of the year.

As fast as it’s going it’s not too late to catch my collection of work up at

With 30+ pieces on display you will see versatility in medium from this Rothko inspired mountain goat that fuses western tradition with unconventional materials to subtle landscapes and rendered wildlife portraits.

If you get the chance to go I would love to hear about your experience!

10-midnight. Not every night, but enough to stay connected to this piece of my identity.

After my family is tucked in bed I slip out to the studio, turn the two space heaters and cover a canvas in dirt.

Ok, not just dirt. It’s sand and clay and charcoal and water and oil and mineral spirits and oxidizing paint and pastel and chalk and magic.

Some would call it mixed media, just so the card at the gallery doesn’t have too many words on it.

But in the end its art. It always is. It’s raw elements mixed together with a splash of poetry and new perspective.

I’ve come to understand that art isn’t something that I do just because I like it. I create because I’m curious. I create because I need to connect with materials I was made from.

Dust.

I create because I have to, because I don’t know my self with out it.

Currently, I have something like 20 pieces in the works with another 40 ready for a show this upcoming March in Montana. We’ll see how many actually make it to the finish line.

I’ve dubbed this style “Primitive Modernism” because in a world of tech we need a little more sand and grit. I am excited to share this unique collection of western work with you.