Influential painter Tom Uttech sells landscapes in Aspen

The term “endangered species” is used often when talking about the changing world we live in. 

Yet, one of the most influential landscape painters working today, Tom Uttech, sees another danger looming: the threat of not being able to find solitude in our environment.

“Pure solitude and immersion in the world are becoming almost impossible in any place,” Uttech said. 

Recently, as part of Aspen’s Art Fair 2025, New York’s Alexandre Gallery sold two of his large-scale, wildlife landscape paintings — “Nin-babishagi” (2022) and “Sagiwan Sibi” (2022) — including the artist’s hand-painted frames, along with three recent smaller works.

“We were so pleased to introduce Tom Uttech’s paintings to the Aspen community. Uttech’s paintings capture the wonder, majesty, and mystery of the natural world with a rare depth of imagination, inviting viewers to step into landscapes that feel both familiar and otherworldly,” owner of Alexandre Gallery Phil Alexandre said.

“Bringing his vision to this setting feels especially resonant, reflecting the intimate yet humbling relationship that Aspen has with its wild expanse.”

A lifelong resident of Wisconsin, Uttech sees himself as much as an environmentalist as he does a painting maker.

He was reminded of his outlook on the environment recently during one of his trips up to Ontario, Canada, where he can still paddle a canoe and travel for miles uninterrupted by people or land development.

His art journey began when he was a young child. He trained for his craft in art school with a bachelor’s degree in art from the Layton School in Milwaukee and then a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati.

He became a professor at the University of Wisconsin. He toiled away at the art of painting and printmaking until he ultimately needed to do art full time and retired in his 50s to focus exclusively on it. 

He has created his dream life by taking the hay out of a barn on a farm he bought and turning it into a studio. 

Uttech, who paints every night, shared: “I just try to paint like heck and do the best work I can. And if something good happens that other people create for it, I love it. I would be doing this no matter what.”

He’s now a healthy 82, and his success in the art world continues to evolve.

“I try to keep growing and not repeating and perfecting the spiritual and emotional experience about being in the woods contained in the paintings,” he said.