Chi E Shenam Westin

Boise, Idaho | Oil | Plein Air, Landscape & Light

“I am a painter of light. Water and sky are my deep loves.”

Chi E Shenam Westin is an Idaho plein air artist living in the Treasure Valley. He works primarily in oil and has spent years painting the landscapes and places of the American West—from the mountains of Montana to the red rock deserts of the Southwest and the familiar parks and open spaces of the Boise area.

A longtime member of the Plein Air Painters of Idaho (PAPI), Chi E Shenam has spent more than a decade painting throughout Boise and the Treasure Valley. His work is not only a celebration of the landscape, but also a record of places and moments that are changing over time. Among his memorable subjects were the stables at Les Bois Park racetrack, which he painted before they were demolished and lost to memory.

Painting En Plein Air

For Chi E Shenam, plein air painting is about seeing familiar places in a new way. He is continually looking at the landscapes people pass every day and searching for the artistic qualities within them—the intense blue of an Idaho sky, the warm light of sunrise and sunset, or the reflections across water.

He believes oil paint is particularly suited to capturing the depth and richness of life in the landscape, allowing him to translate the atmosphere and light he experiences outdoors into a lasting painting.

A Painter of Light

Light is at the heart of Chi E Shenam’s work. He pays particular attention to the dramatic qualities of dawn and dusk and to the interplay of light across water and sky.

For some of his larger and more luminous paintings, he works on copper and aluminum, surfaces that allow him to explore the radiance and intensity of light in a unique way.

“I am a painter of light. Water and sky are my deep loves.”

A Few Highlights

Chi E Shenam has received numerous awards throughout his career, but one holds particular significance: a First Place Blue Ribbon from the Plein Air Painters of Idaho.

For him, the recognition was especially meaningful because it came from his fellow artists and peers—people who understand the challenges and rewards of painting outdoors.

Beyond the Easel

Chi E Shenam’s paintings are rooted in a deep appreciation for Idaho and the places that make the Treasure Valley home. By painting both iconic and everyday landscapes, he captures moments of light and beauty while also preserving a visual record of places that may someday change or disappear.

His work invites us to slow down, look again, and see the familiar landscape in an artistic light.

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/chieshenam-westin