Santa Fe painter also designed houses, said goal was 'to just have fun painting'

When Santa Fe artist Douglas Atwill picked up a brush, he worked fast, he worked confidently and he never seemed to agonize.

“It seemed like he never hesitated,” said Troy Buchleiter, director at New Concept Gallery on Canyon Road, where Atwill showed his work in recent years. “... He was very comfortable just with what he put down on the canvas. He didn’t keep going back and rethinking it.”

Buchleiter said as a result, Atwill — a painter into his 90s — generally completed a 4-foot-by-3-foot canvas in about a week to 10 days, while most artists he knows might take a couple months or longer. He said he spoke with Atwill once about his speed and confidence.

“He said, ‘Oh, I learned a long time ago not to worry about making it perfect,’ ” Buchleiter said. “ ‘... It’s more important to just