Recognized during his lifetime as one of America's finest artists, his work was displayed in many select exhibitions including West Wind Fine Art’s Tribute to Richard Schmid show in 2018; the California Art Club Gold Medal Invitational Exhibition; Richard Schmid and His Influence Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club; The Colorado Governor's Invitational; The American Society of Portrait Artist's Competition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Boston International Fine Arts Show; The Copley Society of Boston, and the National Arts Club in New York City among others.

Timothy Thies dedicated his life to the pursuit of artistic excellence and studied with many of America's most distinguished artists. Born in 1954, Timothy graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art in 1976. He continued his studies at The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Art in New York with one of the greatest twentieth Century portrait painters, Nelson Shanks, as well as at the Provincetown Arts Center with renowned color master Henry Hensche. In 1997, Thies was invited to become the protégé of internationally renowned painter and author, Richard Schmid. With Schmid and Nancy Guzik and others, Thies became a founding member of The Putney Painters at Village Arts of Putney, Vermont. And it was during Plein Air painting sessions with Schmid that Thies blossomed as a landscape artist.

Viewing Thies's landscape paintings, the viewer is able to perceive not just visible objects but also the invisible vital forces that animate them. As Thies once explained, "I paint what excites me. It can be anything, a combination of colors, the light, the mood...or something greater. Something transcendent–It hits you in the gut, like a spark. It's Nature's wake up call. It says to me, 'Capture this moment.' When I paint, it's that spark I'm trying to recreate and pass on to the viewer."

Thies's ability to express his perception of Nature's essence in his paintings has resulted in winning many awards, including the Best of Show Award at The Bennington Center for the Arts and two awards in the top one hundred paintings of the Landscape Category selected by the International Art Renewal Center's 2nd Annual Salon Competition (which had more than 1,500 entries).

In a 2004 interview Thies said, "You can't memorize the entire scene, but you can internalize small details, like the thickness of the air, the feel of the wind, and even the sounds and smells...the interesting thing is that I can go back to an image and remember exactly how I was feeling at the moment I painted it. In fact, this approach makes every painting I do a self-portrait, because they are all about me–about where I was in my life at that specific moment.

For this reason, the subjects Thies chose were personal and varied. He explained, "I don't paint what I think will sell. I paint what inspires me, what I call 'Divine Inspiration.'

While some artists might find that a little crazy, I feel a painter should be able to paint everything that inspires them. Markets change, but if you're painting for yourself, for your soul, your work will endure."

Timothy R. Thies died peacefully at home on April 13, 2010 ,in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with his wife and partner, Kristen by his side. A month later, Thies's painting, titled New Dawn Rose Arbor, was exhibited at the American Masters Exhibition at NY's Salmagundi Club and Richard Schmid paid personal tribute to his life and his art. In addition, American Artist magazine honored his life and Timothy's Landscape paintings with a feature article in their October 2010 issue. His artworks are also included in Wisdom & The Dreamer–Achieving Fulfillment in the Arts by Kristen Thies, published in 2006 by West Wind Fine Art, LLC.

-by Sheryll Reichwein

For more information on the Art of Timothy R. Thies please contact, Kristen@WestWindFineArt.com