California undeniably elicits Western sentiments. As a frontier state, the culture of ranching, exploration and the cowboy life spreads rapidly through the land and its history. Californians and visitors alike will find no shortage of galleries, events, artists and organizations that conjure these Western sensibilities, from portrayals of our country’s national parks to depictions of bronco busters, wildlife and Native American scenes.
Los Angeles Arts District with mural by Shepard Fairey. Courtesy Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.
Located in the massive metropolitan city of Los Angeles is Maxwell Alexander Gallery, which, in addition to its collection of contemporary realism, specializes in historic Western works and Southwest landscapes.
The Autry Museum of the American West in LA’s Griffith Park features galleries filled with Native American art and cultural materials, film memorabilia, historic firearms, paintings, interactive areas and more. The museum also hosts numerous Western art events throughout the year, including the 23rd annual Masters of the American West Exhibition & Sale happening this year on February 7. Each fall, there’s also the American Indian Arts Marketplace, the largest Native American art market in Southern California, featuring 200 artists from more than 40 nations.
An example of some of the internationally-famous Coachella mural art in the greater Palm Springs area.
The Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.Pasadena is home to American Legacy Fine Art, showcasing contemporary and traditional paintings and sculpture, including artists who often paint in Western subject matter like Bill Anton, Tim Solliday and Mian Situ.
Held in Paso Robles, a city known for its wineries and olive groves, the Cattlemen’s Western Art Show & Sale celebrates 30 years this April. Artists whose work will be showcased at the 2020 exhibition include Vicki Catapano, Sarah Phippen, Robert Rodriquez, Bill Churchill, Gloria Chadwick and more, along with the 2020 featured artist, oil painter Valeriy Kagounkin. 
A view of Old Town La Quinta in La Quinta, California.
The state of California is massive, and there are seemingly endless possibilities to discover art along its shore and inland. Other galleries and artists offering up Western art include Miles and Miles Trading in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as equine and landscape painter Carol Peek.
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An indoor look at Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles.
Maxwell Alexander Gallery
406 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 275-1060, www.maxwellalexandergallery.com
Maxwell Alexander Gallery is located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, just a couple streets over from the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center. In recent years, downtown LA has become one of the most sought-after art destinations in the United States. Maxwell Alexander Gallery is continuing its service to out-of-state clientele but has also gained a group of collectors who are new residents of downtown LA. As a result, sales nearly doubled in 2019. The gallery continues to keep things interesting with multiple exhibitions running each month in its 3,500-square-foot modern gallery and also features online exhibits such as the Black Friday exhibit where all artwork was priced under $2,000 (90 pieces of art sold in the first 30 minutes). The gallery also published its first book, Desert Survey, by Western artist Logan Maxwell Hagege, and they released sold-out serigraphs and editions for their top artists. The gallery’s primary focus is on high-quality art, and the roster of artists are some of the best in the business. 
Where the Cliffs and Sky Meet, oil, 60 x 90”, by Logan Maxwell Hagege.
“I can say, with confidence, no other gallery in the Southwestern market has a roster as strong as ours. We are developing new artists’ careers, but we are lucky to have the biggest names all under one roof,” says Beau Alexander, president. 
Maxwell Alexander Gallery, Riders of the Coyote Moon, oil, 24 x 30”, by Mark Maggiori.
On May 2, Maxwell Alexander Gallery is hosting the first major solo exhibition for Hagege in more than five years. The Los Angeles solo show is going to be Hagege’s largest and most important exhibit to date. Other shows planned for 2020 include G. Russell Case in April, Glenn Dean in the fall, Brett Allen Johnson, Eric Bowman, Joshua LaRock, John Moyers, Eric Merrell and much more.
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Miles and Miles Trading, ledger art, by Terrance Guardipee.
Miles and Miles Trading
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
www.milesnativearts.com
Miles and Miles Trading, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, focuses on historic and vintage Native American jewelry with some contemporary pieces, as well as textiles, wall art and a small variety of other Native American art. Owner Barbara Miles had been in the corporate world in Northern California for many years and yearned to find an interest in a more artistic environment. “I fell in love with all Native American art some years back…I was fascinated by the talents and the significance of all the tribes,” she says. Miles explains how she got her start dealing in Native art: “One wintery snowy day in Santa Fe, the light went on…It was then I decided to explore and to go forward towards opening a dealership. As luck would have it, I met a wonderful mentor who took an interest in my new venture and he became invaluable to my future.” Miles partook in her first trade show 10 years ago and continues dealing to this day. 
Miles and Miles Trading, oil painting, 30 x 30”, by Gary Ernest Smith.
Miles and Miles Trading, a painting of mules, 20 x 28½”, by Beatien Yazz (1928-2012).
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An installation view of Rose B. Simpson’s Witness, 2016, ceramic and mixed media.
Autry Museum of the American West
4700 W. Heritage Way, Los Angeles,CA 90027,
(323) 667-2000 www.theautry.org
The Autry Museum of the American West’s Art of the West is the first major core exhibition within a Western art museum to fully integrate artistic perspectives from Native, Hispanic and Euro-American artists across historical eras in a dialogue about some of the major forces that have shaped the West. Featuring several large-scale, monumental works such as Alaskan totem poles, a contemporary crucifix and a 1948 Indian Loadmaster as well as Thomas Moran’s masterwork, Mountain of the Holy Cross, the gallery blends different media, textures, colors and cultures. It also includes many of the standard-bearers of Western American art, such as Frederic Remington and Maynard Dixon, but blends their work with contemporary artists including those from LA and Native America, such as John Sonsini, James Doolin and Rose B. Simpson. A notable recent addition to the gallery includes Simpson’s monumental sculpture Ground.
Autry Museum of the American West, Mountain of the Holy Cross, 1875, oil on canvas, by Thomas Moran (1837-1926).
The Autry’s upcoming exhibition Dress Codes & China Poblano will deconstruct some of the staple items in its closets: plaid shirts, jeans and, of course, boots. Many of these items have a long and rich history, from their functional origins to the way the garments have been adapted and appropriated by different groups for a fascinating variety of cultural and political statements.
An indoor view of the gallery at the Autry Museum of the American West.
The Masters of the American West each February is always a highlight. This year the Autry welcomes some exciting new additions including Grant Redden, Steve Kestrel and sisters Autumn Borts-Medlock and Tammy Garcia. The museum has also made a number of changes to the format of the event, designed to infuse the Masters with a little more excitement.
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A view of a past Cattlemen’s Western Art Show and Sale.
Cattlemen’s Western Art Show and Sale
Paso Robles Event Center
Paso Robles, CA, (805) 423-1319
www.cattlemenswesternartshow.com
The San Luis Obispo Cattlemen’s Association presents their 30th annual Cattlemen’s Western Art Show and Sale. Having moved many years ago from the Madonna Barn with its leaky roof and old wooden walls to the fresh newness of Estrella Hall at the Paso Robles Event Center, the show has come a long way. 
Cattlemen’s Western Art Show and Sale, Selfie, oil, 24 x 30”, by Margo Petterson.
The many friendships built between the artists, patrons and collectors have made this a major cultural event on the central coast. This year’s featured artist is Valeriy Kagounkin, whose work takes you to the range where driving cattle is a way of life. He will be available to share his passion for art and his many achievements throughout the art world. From oils, pastels, watercolors, graphite, mixed media, photography and sculptures there is something for everyone at the show. There will also be a separate area for reproductions at a price level for all, to start a collection, from your favorite artist.
The show will open with an artist reception on Friday, April 3, from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets for the evening will be available at the door. Several wineries will be on hand to accompany the Cattlemen’s hors d’ oeuvres. The show continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with no admission charge to the general public.
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Carol Peek, The Road Less Traveled, oil on linen, 16 x 20”
Carol Peek
(707) 776-7345
carolpeekart@gmail.com
www.carolpeek.com
Carol Peek has been painting horses and landscapes with an emphasis on farms for more than 30 years. Inspired by light, she works to create an image that feels as if you could walk right into the scene yourself. The artist was born in Marin County, California, and her love of horses—and the local landscape—led her to draw them as well as ride them, spending summers on horseback exploring the scenes she now paints. Peek’s work has been represented in New York City; Sun Valley, Idaho; Carmel, California; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and at the North Point Gallery in San Francisco. She is currently showing with Holton Studio and Gallery in Berkeley, California. Some of Peek’s paintings are currently featured in the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg. —
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