Blair Atherholt never needed encouragement to draw. From early childhood through adolescence, he steadily filled numerous sketchbooks with pencil drawings done from both imagination and observation. This ever-growing love of creative expression led to his enrollment into the Schuler School of Fine Arts in 2011 to pursue the study of techniques and disciplines of the Old Masters. The life works of Hans Schuler, Sr. (1874-1951) and Jacques Maroger (1884-1962) and their dedication to excellence in visual art represent the hallmark of the Schuler School and its mission. Atherholt graduated the four year Schuler program and emerged in 2015 with one goal: to pursue a career as a fine artist. 

Now at 30 years old, Atherholt continues to fill sketchbooks, but is focused primarily upon traditional still life painting. Fusing traditional techniques with contemporary and imaginative subject matter, he strives with each new painting to improve his control of the medium one measured brushstroke at a time.

Atherholt’s work has been included in multiple national shows and international publications. His demonstration article “Precision in Painting” can be found as the cover article of International Artist Magazine issue #134. Most recently, he received the Best Still Life Award in the 2021 NOAPS Best of America Exhibition, an Award of Excellence in the Oil Painters of America 2021 Salon, American Art Collector Editors Choice Award in the International Guild of Realism's 15th Annual Exhibition, as well as an Award of Excellence in the OPA Wet Paint Competition. He was awarded 2nd Place in the Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition: Still Life + Interiors, as well as the Windows to the Divine Award in the Art Renewal Center's 14th International Salon. He received the Realism Award of Excellence in the Oil Painters of America 28th National Juried Exhibition, as well as the Best Still Life Award in the NOAPS 2019 Best of America Small Works Exhibition. He was also honored to be a featured artist in Southwest Art Magazine's 21 Under 31 issue, in September 2017. His work is part of numerous public and private collections.