In the spring of 2003 Bart Walker and his golden lab dropped by the gallery during a plein air painting trip through California and the Northwest. "As he took his small paintings out of his plein air box, I was struck by the captured light and vibrancy of his paintings," says Nancy Ferreira of Christopher Queen Galleries. "I promptly bought all eight and reserved several others."

Bart Walker, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, felt the influence of his father who worked in watercolor, and an older brother, an accomplished draughtsman and oil painter.

Walker said: "Standing behind my brother on the shores of String Lake in Teton National Park, I was amazed at how easily he captured the scene. I then thought to mysel...