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Peter Allen Nisbet was born in North Carolina in 1948 and began the study of painting at age ten. He has been a student of fine art for over forty years, beginning in water colors and proceeding to oils by age 25. He received a liberal arts degree from the University of North Carolina followed by a commission in the United States Navy. He served as a line officer at sea with a ten month tour of duty in Vietnam. During that time he was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy to serve as Director of Art Services for the Navy's Office of Information. Following Naval Service in 1974 he commenced a free-lance commercial art business providing graphic design and illustration for over twenty-five national organizations. In 1980 he moved to the Southwest and began painting landscapes. Since then he has completed and sold hundreds of paintings which are derived from experiences throughout the world. Nisbet has traveled to such remote places as the South Pole and China, but his preferred locale for painting is in the deserts of the Southwest and Mexico. He is represented by Meyer Gallery in Santa Fe, N.M., Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, and the Eisele Gallery in Cincinnati, OH. See Reviews

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Awards & Exhibitions

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2021 "Clouds are in the Air" Exhibition, Anne Jespersen Fine Arts, Helper, Utah

2020 Patron's Choice Award, Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

2019 "Maynard Dixon’s American West", Western Spirit, Scottsdale's Museum of the West, Scottsdale, AZ

2019 Buyer's Choice Award "Small Works, Great Wonders", National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK

2019 "The Western Sublime", Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

2019 Group Exhibition, "Along the Distant Mesa", Medicine Man Gallery, Tucson, AZ

2018 American Masters Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY

2017 Retrospective Exhibition, "Light, Space and Power/The Art of P.A. Nisbet" Eiteljorg Museum of the American Indian and Western Art 

2016 Artist of Distinction Award, Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

2014 Southwest Anthems Exhibition, Lead Painting, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

2014 Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, Exhibition Cover and Introduction, Grand Canyon, AZ

2014 Western Visions Art Show, Jackson, WY

2014 Buffalo Bill Art Show, Cody, WY

2014 Artist of Distinction Award, Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

2014 Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ, Purchase for Permanent Collection

2014 Art Renewal Center 2013-2014 ARC International Salon Competition, Hon Mention/Landscape

2013 Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis

2013 Wells Fargo Gold Award for Best Painting, Buffalo Bill Art Show, Cody, WY

2013 National Weather Biennial Exhibition, Norman, OK

2012 Solo Exhibition, "Journeys Out of the West", Medicine Man Gallery, Tucson, AZ

2012 Artist Choice Award, Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

2012 Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award, Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

2009 Farney Award for Best Painting, Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

2009 Modern Masters Exhibition, Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, Grand Canyon, AZ

2008 Farney Award for Best Painting, Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

2008 Solo Exhibition, "New Works", Meyer East Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2007 Solo Exhibition, "The Clouds", Meyer East Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2006 Group Exhibition," The Grand Canyon: From Dream to Icon", Tucson Museum of Art, AZ

2006 Solo Exhibition, "The Grand Canyon", Meyer Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2005 Solo Exhibition, Medicine Man Gallery, Tucson, AZ

2003 Solo Exhibition, Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2002 Solo Exhibition, Medicine Man Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2001 Solo Exhibition, Medicine Man Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2001 Solo Exhibition, Medicine Man Gallery, Tucson, AZ

2000 A Century of Grand Canyon Art, Kolb Studio, Grand Canyon National Park

2000 Group Exhibition, Medicine Man Gallery, Tucson, AZ

1999 Group Exhibition, " The Artistry of Space, The NASA Art Program" Artrain USA National Tour

1999 Solo Exhibition, Meyer Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

1998 Group Exhibition," Realism in the American West", U of Wyoming Museum of Art, Laramie, WY

1998 Group Exhibition, "Canyons of the Colorado", Idaho Museum of Natural History, Pocatello, ID

1998 Group Exhibition, "The City Series ", Cedar Rapids Musseum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA

1998 Group Exhibition, "Leading the West", Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

1997 Group Exhibition, "Leading the West", Medicine Man Gallery, Tucson, AZ 

1996 Solo Exhibition, Frank Croft Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

1994 Solo Exhibition, Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ

1991 Albuquerque Museum of Art Invitational Exhibition

1991 Solo Exhibition, Frank Croft Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

1990 Solo Exhibition, Frank Croft Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

1989 Group Exhibition, The Barnstone Studios, Allentown, PA

1989 Spring Invitational Exhibition, Santa Fe Festival of the Arts, Santa Fe, NM 

1989 Landscape Invitational, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 

1988 Biennial Invitational Exhibition, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM

1988 Three person exhibition, O'Brien's Art Emporium, Scottsdale, AZ

1988 Arts for the Parks Reception, President of the United States, The White House

1988 Arts for the Parks Awards Exhibition, The White House/Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC

1987 First National Park Stamp, Department of the Interior and the National Parks Foundation

1987 Winner Southwest Region Award, Exhibition, Arts for the Parks, Jackson, WY

1987 Solo Exhibition, Dewey Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

1986 Group Exhibition, Pioneer's Museum Show, Colorado Springs, CO

1984-1986 Four Group Exhibitions, O'Brien's Art Emporium, Scottsdale, AZ

 

 

Publications

 

Books

2019 The Western Sublime, Majestic Landscapes of the American West, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

2018 Maynard Dixon's American West, by Mark Sublette, Just Me Publishing, LLC, Tucson, AZ

2015 Painters of Grand Tetons National Park, by Donna and James L. Poulton, Gibbs Smith, Layton, UT 

2013 Art of the National Parks, Fresco Fine Art Publications

2011 Cover, Art Journey America/Landscapes by Kathryn Kipp, Northlight Books

2006 Terra Antarctica, Looking Into the Emptiest Continent by William L. Fox, Trinity University Press, San Antonio, TX

2006 100 Artists of the Southwest by Douglis Bullis, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, PA

2005  Jack Ruby's Kitchen Sink, Offbeat Travels Through America's Southwest, Adventure Press, Washington, DC 

2005 Art of Our Land 2006 Calendar, Hudson Park Press, NY

1999 Contemporary American Oil Painting Jilin Fine Arts Publishing House, China

1998 Cover, Antarctica a Paperback Novel by Kim Stanley Robinson, Harper Collins, London, UK

1998 The Majesty of the Grand Canyon, 150 Years in Art, by Arnold Skolnick

1998 Elements of Literature 2000, Holt Rinehart, and Winston, New York

1998 Cover, NASA & The Exploration of Space by Roger Launius, Stewart, Tabori and Chang, New York

1997 Cover, Leading the West, 100 Painters and Sculptors by Donald J. Hagerty, Northland Press

1997 Cover, The Age of Exploration  National Aeronautics and Space Administration

1997 Cover, Antarctica a Novel by Kim Stanley Robinson, Bantam Books, New York

1994 Artists of the Southwest by Arnold Skolnick, Chameleon Press

1991 The Hubble Space Telescope /STS-31) An Artist's View National Aeronautics and Space Administration

1988 Light by Lucy Willis, Quatro Publishing, Inc. 

 

Magazines

2022 Western Art & Architecture  April/May

2021 Art of the West  May/June

2009 Santa Fean

2008 Western Art Collector

2008 Santa Fean

2008 Fine Art Connoisseur

2007 American Art Collector

2007 Around 505

2007 Art of the West

2006 Focus Santa Fe

1999 Southwest Art

1997 Southwest Art

1991 Earthtreks

1991 Architectural Digest

1989 Defenders of Wildlife

1989 The Artist Magazine

1989 Focus/Santa Fe

1989 General Motors Friends

1989 Southwest Profile

1989 Southwest Profile

1989 Southwest Profile

1988 The SantaFe Concert Association

1988 Winter Art Today

1988 Midwest Art

1987 Southwest Art

1987 Arizona Highways

1986 The Artist Magazine

1986 Arizona Highways

1986 Professional Surveyor

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Newspapers

1994 Valley Arts Review, Phoenix, Arizona

1992 The Hartford Courant, Hartford, Connecticut

1989 The New Mexican, Santa Fe, New Mexico

1987 The University Report, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.

1987 Post Register, Idaho Falls, Idaho

1987 The Morning Call, Allentown, Pennsylvania

1987 Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico

1987 New Times, Phoenix, Arizona

1986 The Flagstaff Sun, Flagstaff, Arizona

1986 The Coastland Times, Elizabeth City, North Carolina

1983 The New Mexican, Santa Fe, New Mexico

 

Lectures

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2015 "Competitive Strategy for Working Artists" a Podcast, Clark Hulings Foundation

2015 "Down the Colorado" Eiteljorg Museum of the American West, Indianapolis, IN

2013 "Desert Quest, The Art of P.A. Nisbet" Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

1995 "The Business of Art" (six seminars), State of New Mexico

1989 "The Professional Artist", Texas Christian University, Department of Fine Arts , Fort Worth, TX

1987 "The Business of Art", University of New Mexico, Department of Fine Arts, Albuquerque, NM

1987 "The American Landscape Tradition", Dewey Galleries, Ltd., Santa Fe, New Mexico

1986 "Design and Composition", Northern Arizona University, College of Design and Technology, Flagstaff, Arizona 

 

Grants/Honors

 

2015 "Reaching Art Collectors", Artists Panel, Arts Council of Indianapolis/Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists

1997 Artist Advisory Panel, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C.

1996 Artist Advisory Panel, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C.

1995 National Science Foundation, Artists and Writers Program Grant for travel to Antarctica

 

Collections, Public and Private

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Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

Fred Jones, Jr. Museum of Art, U. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

John Chafee, former Senator, Rhode Island

Admiral and Mrs. Elmo Zumwalt

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C.

National Science Foundation, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

The Forbes Collection

Eugene B. Adkins Collection

Museum of the West

Jim Cowley Collection

Michael Mann, Director

Reynolds Price, Author

Kim Stanley Robinson, Author

Tim Allen, Actor

Gary Shandling, Actor/Comedian

Over 400 Private Collections