Warren Neary
Warren Neary's artwork primarily focuses on capturing the play of light and design in landscapes, cityscapes, figures, and still life subject matter. He often presents his compositions as memories, moments evoking a feeling of peace and grace in everyday life.
After graduating from high school as the Art Sterling Scholar, he attended Utah State University on a two-year scholarship in art. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with an emphasis in painting in 1998, he commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force and served eight years on active duty followed by 18 years in the Air Force Reserve as a historian combat artist.
While attending Academy of Art University for graduate studies with an emphasis in figure painting, Warren studied with Thomas Blackshear as an advisor and then later with Daniel Gerhartz and extensively with Steve Huston.During his graduate studies, he taught art classes at a local college.
“Although I received great training at USU, my experience at AAU along with teaching art in a local college proved transformative. Dan Gerhartz helped tie my observational training and sense of color together. Most of my focus to that point was in working from observation. However, I wanted to strengthen my conceptualization and redesign from my imagination. It was at this point that I took the opportunity to study with Steve Huston, who expanded my understanding of the figure with a blend of the George Bridgman constructive style, classic academic approaches, and his gesture and structure approach. In addition, he advanced my understanding in composition, creativity, and healthy mindset thinking in world building, giving me powerful tools to create.”
Warren has captured various Air Force and Space Force operations that hang in government buildings including the Pentagon and White House along with distribution to allied and partner nations. In 2023, he completed a six-foot painting capturing Air and Space Force stories for the 75th Anniversary of the Department of the Air Force.
When he’s not working on projects for the Air Force, he’s building compositions with light and design, drawing on his inspiration, reference, and studies of landscapes and figure ideas while listening to movie instrumental sound tracks reverberating off his studio walls. Warren loves the outdoors and visiting art museums while traveling, along with watching movies and playing games with his family.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I'm moved by the grace and beauty of light and design in landscapes, cityscapes, the figure, and objects.I like the freedom to explore a variety of subject matter to compose my worlds with a blend of direct and indirect styles of painting.I love learning from old and new masters, and value being a son of a loving Heavenly Father and master creator. It is exhilarating for me to explore scenes of subtle or dramatic light, color, and design across a landscape or figure composition where I can draw on my observations from life along with creative design choices and ideas from my imagination.”
HONORS AND AWARDS
2015 U.S. Air Force Association Gill Rob Wilson Award for Arts and Letters
2010 U.S. Air Force Nomination for Air Force Association Gill Rob Wilson Award for Arts and Letters
2009 Finalist in Raymar’s Third Annual Fine Art Competition
2007 Finalist in Raymar’s Second Annual Fine Art Competition
2007 Academy of Art University Spring Show Award Recipient
2006 Finalist in Raymar Fine Art Competition (August) Judged by Scott Burdick
1997 Art Scholarship, Utah State University
RECENT EXHIBITIONS AND SHOWS
2023 U.S. Department of the Air Force Art Presentation with the Secretary of the Air Force in unveiling “A Shared Foundation; Celebrating 75 Years of Air and Space Power,” Pentagon, Washington, DC
2023 U.S. Air Force Reserve Art Presentation with the Commander of the Air Force Reserve in unveiling 75th anniversary commemorative artwork, Air Force Association Air, Space, and Cyber Conference, U.S. National Capital Region
2018 U.S. Air Force Art Presentation with the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command honoring Medal of Honor recipient and Air Commando MSgt John Chapman, Hurlburt Field, FL
2018, U.S Air Force Reserve Art Unveiling, Air Force Association Air, Space, and Cyber Conference, National Capital Region
2017 U.S. Air Force Reserve 70th Anniversary, Museum of Aviation, Warner Robins, GA., 2017
2016 U.S. Air Force Reserve Art Presentation with the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL
2015 U.S. Air Force Reserve Art Presentation with the Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference, U.S. National Capital Region
2014 U.S. Air Force Reserve Art Presentation to Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, DC
2013 Yonder, 3-Person Show, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT
2010 Air Force Art Exhibition, National Museum, United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH
2012 “Here and Abroad” Exhibition, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT
2010 Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX
2010 Landscape Show, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
2009 Solo Exhibition, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, WY
2008 Air Force Art Presentation, Andrews AFB, Washington, DC
2008 Centennial Utah State University Alumni Show, Apple Frame Gallery, Bountiful, UT
2008 Spring Show, Academy of Art University, San Francisco
2008 79 Montgomery Show, Academy of Art University, San Francisco
2008 Open Range, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
PUBLICATIONS
2023 Disciple of Discipline: Peering into the Worlds of Warren Neary, Gallery MAR Blog, gallerymar.com, Mar
2017 Air Force Chief of Staff Reading List, Selected Artworks
2016 Painting Air Force History, Air Force Magazine, Oct
2015 A Magnificent Showcase: History, Heritage, and Art: The United States Air Force and the Air Force Art Program, book
2015 Painting the Air Force Story: Service comes to life when Reserve historian puts brush to canvas, Citizen Airmen Magazine, Oct
2015 Artist Tells About ‘Lone Survivor’ Rescue Scene, airforcetimes.com, dailyrecord.com
2015 Maj. Warren Neary and Lt Col Jeff Peterson: Honoring ‘Lone Survivor’ SEAL, Federal Radio News, Sep
2014 Air Force Art Program Highlights Reserve Airmen, Air Force News Service
2014 Air Force Honors American Soldiers in Art, WND.com, Oct
2014 Air Force Chief of Staff Reading List, Selected Artworks
2010 Peaks and Valleys, Southwest Art Magazine
PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
White House, Washington DC
United States Department of the Air Force Art Collection, Washington DC
United States Army Center for Military History, Washington DC
