About Sierra Art Panels
Welcome to Sierra Art Panels, where innovation meets tradition in the world of professional painting surfaces. Founded by artist Tom Applegate, Sierra Art Panels was created from a simple idea: artists deserve something better than mass-produced panels.
At Sierra Art Panels, we are dedicated to providing handcrafted, archival-quality painting panels that support your creative vision for years to come. Tom’s experience as both an artist and maker informs every detail of their design, ensuring each panel meets the needs of working artists who demand reliability, durability, and a refined painting surface.
Unlike factory-made alternatives, our panels are individually crafted with care. Most are built to order, giving you a panel made just for you. We also offer a limited selection of in-stock panels—unique pieces available in small quantities depending on what’s currently being created.
What Sets Us Apart
-
Handcrafted Quality – Every panel is built with attention to detail.
-
Artist-Inspired Design – Designed by an artist who understands the needs of fellow creators.
-
Archival Materials – Built to last, ensuring your work is supported for generations.
-
Made to Order – Custom-made for artists, not the masses.
-
Direct Support – Personalized service and direct communication with the maker.
-
Limited In-Stock Panels – Occasionally available in small batches.
Sierra Art Panels are more than just painting surfaces—they are tools for expression, built by an artist, for artists.
About Tom
I've always been drawn to the wild—mountains, deserts, and oceans have shaped both my experiences and my art. Starting life in the Arizona desert, I spent my childhood exploring outside, and was referred to as the desert rat, I developed a lifelong love for nature. When I moved to San Diego at six, that love only deepened. I spent my days in the canyons, on the beaches, out in the desert and surfing and skateboarding whenever I could. Later, I moved north and threw myself into rock and mountain climbing, scaling walls and peaks from Canada to the Sierra Nevada. When I moved back to the coast and climbing wasn't as accessible, I used my pilots license I had received years earlier while recovering from an incident with an avalanche and pursued aerobatic flying, competing in high-performance aircraft and took up surfing again. These experiences often pulled me away from painting, but my connection to the natural world—and to art—never faded. After retiring from aerobatics, I returned to painting with a renewed focus, bringing all those experiences back into my work.
For 30 years, I was fortunate enough to have worked as a wildlife biologist protecting the life on central California's beaches. The beach was my office. That work gave me an even deeper appreciation for the landscapes and wildlife that inspire my art.
I started painting as a child, studying the Old Masters and working in realism before evolving toward a blend of abstraction and representation. My work isn’t about precise depictions—it’s about capturing the energy, movement, and atmosphere of a place. Whether through rich textures or bold, fluid brushstrokes, I aim to evoke a sense of being there—or longing to go.
I paint primarily in oil paint on panels, which I craft myself under the name Sierra Art Panels. Making my own surfaces is part of my process, ensuring quality and a direct connection to every piece from start to finish.
About Sandra
Sandra J. Schultz is a wildlife artist whose paintings reflect a lifelong kinship with the natural world—a bond rooted in the northwoods of Wisconsin, where she was born and raised. As a child, she spent endless hours exploring the forests near her home, forming a quiet reverence for the wild beings she encountered. That early connection never faded. It deepened over time, shaping her path first as a wildlife biologist and later as a self-taught painter.
Her work is more than visual likeness—it offers an invitation into stillness, into soul-level encounters with wild animals. Sandra’s years of fieldwork, often in remote forests, give her an intimacy with wildlife that is rare and hard-earned. While working on her master’s degree, she tracked black bears by radio-collaring them, even crawling into winter dens to replace transmitters and tag newborn cubs. These moments—quiet, visceral, and unforgettable—continue to guide her brush.
Sandra’s conservation roots run deep, shaped by the land ethic of fellow Wisconsinite Aldo Leopold. She studied under pioneering wildlife biologists Francis and Fredrick Hammerstrom, and later with Professor Ray Anderson—mentors who passed on a legacy of respect, stewardship, and deep ecological understanding.
Rather than placing animals in detailed landscapes, Sandra paints them in misty, atmospheric surroundings where their spirit can emerge unfiltered. Each painting centers on the animal’s individuality—the quiet power of a gaze, the curve of a neck, the breath of movement. The backgrounds suggest mood and energy, not place, allowing the wild presence to come forward without distraction.
When she’s not painting, Sandra tends her organic garden, hikes backcountry trails, kayaks secluded waters, and seeks solitude in wild spaces. She shares her life with fellow artist Tom Applegate and their golden retriever, RozieMay. And as a licensed pilot, she finds nothing more exhilarating than flying a floatplane—where every takeoff and landing is a dance with nature’s will.
With each brushstroke, Sandra honors the wild—not as a memory, but as something still living in the quiet corners of our world, and in the hearts of those who truly see.
You can see more of Sandra's work at sandrajschultz.com