Paintings by Tony Giltner

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to draw. With the love and support of my family, I began oil painting at eleven. Nature has been the inspiration for most of my work. I continually study the effects of time-of-day and the change of the seasons on the fields, streams and woods of the country. God not only gave me a passion for art, but the ability to stop and look at the beauty of the earth." - Tony Giltner

Hoosier Artist Tony Giltner at work.

David Anthony (Tony) Giltner was born in Milan, Indiana in 1951. He was raised in the nearby small village of Moores Hill. His mother, Joann, encouraged early oil painting instruction from Alice Whitlach of Milan and Carrie Page of Greensburg. Eventually, Tony's interest in art history also grew. He was especially interested in artists who painted the outdoors, such as Monet and Corot. Inspired, he chose to attend Indiana University as an art major. Tony has continued to paint throughout his lifetime, and his paintings have found a place in the homes of friends and appreciative art-lovers throughout the Midwest.

Alongside his continuing love of painting, Tony has pursued an active career in radio. For the last 10 years he has served as Operations Manager of WZBD, Adams County Radio, where he's on the air Monday through Friday beginning at 5 a.m. each day.

Another passion is auto racing. As a member of the United Midget Racing Association (UMRA), Tony has raced open-wheel midgets for most of his adult life each summer season. Every now and then he's passed the finish line, sometimes in front of another Tony named Stewart.

In 1981 Taylor University held an exhibit titled "Tony Giltner at 30". He has exhibited paintings with the Indiana Plein Air Painters, of which he is a member. He is also a member of Indiana Heritage Arts. Tony has shown his paintings at the annual exhibition at the Richmond (Indiana) Art Museum, the annual Whitewater Valley Art Competition, the Harvest Biennial at Arts Place, and the First National Bank of Portland. He is often seen about the countryside creating new art. Whatever the weather - sunshine, rain or drifting snow - Tony paints. Much of his inspiration comes from the Indiana Group: The famous impressionistic painters who enjoyed the outdoors in central Indiana, such as T.C. Steele, Adams and Forsythe, painting the Midwestern landscape more than 100 years ago. Tony's style has been strongly influenced by color-field and abstract expressionism. With encouragement from another Hoosier painter, Dan Woodson, he continues to seek precisely the right time and conditions for the perfect painting. One of his favorite subjects is the Loblolly Wetland Preserve in northern Jay County, a part of Gene Stratton Porter's famous Limberlost Swamp.

Seeing the abstract in nature and capturing it in landscapes of rural Indiana as well as northwestern Michigan has been the lifelong goal of Hoosier Artist Tony Giltner.

Since 1990, Tony has lived in Portland, Indiana, with his wife Cindy, daughter Sarah, and granddaughter Deanna.

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