In Conversation with Jared Hankins and Doyle Hostetler March 03 2025, 0 Comments
By Kimberly Nicoletti
March 7-8 presents rich opportunities for conversations with Jared Hankins, who visits the Vail gallery, and Doyle Hostetler who comes to Breckenridge for meet-and-greets.
Both artists share some commonalities, including how living in Colorado has shaped their art. Hankins grew up in Denver and has been a skier all his life. Hostetler’s craft began blossoming in high school, as he took accelerated art classes near Monument. Both artists work in oil, depicting the outdoors and related subjects in their own signature style. And with every piece they paint, there’s more than meets the eye, including stories.
Splashing Red by Doyle Hostetler
Hankins enjoys making his paintings look realistic, while still pushing boundaries by adding abstraction in terms of shapes or textures.
“I have a really streaky vertical style, and it starts in the very beginning of the painting. The way I prime the canvas is very vertical, and I typically will use birch panels to paint on. I use the woodgrain and enhance it vertically to mimic a lot of early photography of the American West, where you had these natural streaks and drips and maybe different spots of uneven color,” he says.
As a result, from farther away, his images look realistic, but as you step closer, he says “it slowly disintegrates into just kind of a brushstrokes, which is always a fun perspective.”
Hostetler’s vivid and intimate expressions of wildlife have a similar effect.
“I want it to look as realistic as possible, but when you get up close, I want to be as abstract as I can with my brushstrokes,” Hostetler said.
Some of his brushstrokes oppose the way fur naturally lies. For example, he might include squiggly marks within his fox portraits or place strokes at 90-degree angles within his horses.
“It deceives the eye in what it thinks it sees … and makes it look more like art than a photo,” he says.
Beyond talking about their techniques, both artists are very open to discussing just about anything — and they like hearing people’s perspectives on art, or life in general.
More about Hankins
Being a skier all his life, Hankins can’t help but be inspired by both the pioneers and those who continue to explore remote, incredible places.
"They provide us with a peek into the access they have — the things they’re able to accomplish and do,” he says.
As such, he likes to portray their environment from their perspective.
"I’ve seen mountains depicted in paintings all my life, but rarely have I seen the kind of perspective that a skier experiences. Someone who has skied a particular line a hundred times might look at my work and instantly recognize it, while someone who has never skied might just see a beautiful painting. That contrast is fascinating to me," he says.
Beyond his mountain portraits, he explores nostalgic objects, from roller skates to roller coasters.
"I’ve always been drawn to objects with character, things that show wear and tear. Painting something new can feel too polished, almost like an illustration. But when you depict something with history—like a vintage roller skate or an old ski boot—it has the power to transport people back to a specific time in their lives. It’s about nostalgia, but also about celebrating Americana," he says.
And then there’s his new series, inspired by the 10th Mountain Division, whose soldiers ultimately went on to shape our nation’s ski scene. His paintings blend black-and-white historical imagery with the scenic landscapes of places like Vail, Holy Cross and Lover’s Leap.
"I love creating conversation pieces. Whether it's a landscape, a ski scene or a roller coaster, I try to find a unique angle — something that hasn’t been done before,” he says. “That’s what keeps me inspired."
More about Hostetler
Speaking of inspiration, Hostetler’s development as an artist is an inspiring story in and of itself. He excelled in art classes during high school, but a move to Phoenix senior year knocked him off track. The Arizona school didn’t acknowledge what he had done in Colorado, so he pushed aside his passion for nearly 40 years, opting for a career in construction. It wasn’t until 2019, when he took a couple workshops in Colorado and listened to encouraging critiques from his daughter’s art teacher, that he found the courage to commit to a fine art career, which he launched full time in January 2021.
One of the things he’s grateful for is how successful artists taught him about the business of art, and he’s happy to return the favor to emerging artists.
“A lot of people have been showing gratitude about hearing my story, and as much as I can talk about that, I also want to listen and feed off of what they’re talking about, whether they want to show me some pictures of their kid’s artwork (or anything else),” he says.
A key to his success, in addition to doing at least one thing for his art every day, has been painting what he feels.
"The more I think, it seems like the worse the product comes out,” he says.
He's currently portraying wolves — a complex topic these days. He depicts the softer side of the animals, even though his wife’s uncle is a rancher, so he’s aware of both sides of the wolf reintroduction issue.
Resting Grey by Doyle Hostetler
“There's just been something romanticized about the wolf that I haven't really come to grips with, but I just see it as more than a wild animal, and I don't think that they should be eradicated. I think they have their place on this earth just like we do,” he says.
He paints every single day; last year, his strong work ethic led him to produce about 130 pieces, so he enjoys gallery shows, where he can unwind.
“That's where I get my reprieve, where I can just relax,” he says. “It’s just clearing my head so the magic in my hand can come out.”