Howard Schleeter (1903 – 1976) “The Eye”

Howard Schleeter (1903 – 1976) “The Eye”, Oil Glaze on Metal Leaf, Painted 1963, 18” x 14”, Framed: 28.5" x 24.5"; Signed and dated lower right corner, and details on the verso. BIOGRAPHY: Howard Behling Schleeter (1903 - 1976) was active/lived in New Mexico. Howard Schleeter is known for Mod western imagery, graphics. Howard Schleeter was born in Buffalo, New York in 1903. He was the son of a commercial artist and briefly studied at the Albright Art School. After serving time in the US Army during WWI he found his way to New Mexico in 1929. He would spend the rest of his life there living in Albuquerque from 1930 to 1970, with brief periods of living in Santa Fe (1958-1968) and Placitas (1970-1976). During the 1930s when most New Mexico artists were focused on creating traditional landscape and genre paintings, Schleeter developed his signature modern art style of painting using heavy impasto to highlight his brushstrokes and modernist techniques. This style of paint application was as dynamic as his artistic visions. His landscape paintings created with this technique have a uniqueness not found in most art of the time. His dynamic scenes of the New Mexico environment with modernist compositions set him apart from other New Mexico artists of the time.