Leaving a Lasting Impression

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: April 2025

It’s finally here – Spring!, when the mountains wake up, and so does the Art League of Highlands Cashiers. The League’s 2025 season begins with its first meeting on April 28 at The Bascom. Social time begins at 4:30 P.M., with the meeting starting at 5:00. All are invited to this free event.

The guest speaker will be Zach Claxton, an oil painter. He will talk about his artistic journey that began almost by accident in 2008 during a visit with his daughter and son-in-law. It was then that a much earlier interest in painting was revived.

Zach is self-taught. With a BS in math, a master’s degree in business information systems and a career in software development and bank operations, he has no formal training in painting.

Until 2008, he had not picked up a brush in more than forty years. Once he re-discovered the art form, he found himself in front of the easel almost daily. Some neighbors chanced to see his work and wanted to buy it. They encouraged him to enter local shows.

Soon afterwards, he gave it a try and had success. A few shows later, customers began asking him for commissioned work.

His medium is exclusively oil, and his style is representational across a variety of subject matter – anything that seems worthy of the materials and time.

Early on, he would tell customers, “I paint what I see.” Now he tells them, “I paint what I wish I had seen.” Over the years, he has supplemented his self-improvement with occasional online courses and demonstrations in drawing, color theory and oil painting.

With hundreds of pieces completed, he still finds joy in painting, although his volunteer work with several local non-profits has reduced his output. When he is not working on commissioned pieces, he still produces enough for a couple of shows per year

The Art League invites you to attend this meeting to meet and greet other ALHC members and friends and to hear Mr. Claxton’s presentation. To learn more about the Art League, visit artleaguehighlands-cashiers.com.