Sean Wallis was born and raised in Utah, where he currently resides with his wife and kids. Wallis hailed from an artistic family—his father is renowned impressionist painter Kent R. Wallis. It wasn’t until Sean was 21 years old, in the midst of studying history in college, that he approached his father to learn to really paint.  Every Saturday for 5 years, the father-son duo would spend the day painting outdoors. Of his working relationship with his father, Sean reflects, “The art of being an apprentice and learning from a master is disappearing. Artists become more academic—you follow the fundamental rules. It’s a scholarly thing now. Having such a master as a mentor helped shape me into a traditional painter in a contemporary world.”

As an Impressionist, Sean pays close attention to the relationship of light and color, capturing its fleeting moments with the texture of oil paint and a broad, colorful palette. His work with light, hue, and atmosphere manifest through a skillful combination of colors that vibrates and excites the eye, resulting in an uncanny illusion of depth.  His subjects speak of an era that is fading away: from the blooming flowers of botanical gardens, to the California missions, to dilapidated barns.