The last time the Cowboy Artists of America made work available to purchase in Arizona was 2010. Since then the CA has held shows in Oklahoma and recently, to great acclaim, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Meanwhile, Arizona waited in the wings, ever so patiently.Martin Grelle, Signs of Success, acrylic on linen, 12 x 12”

John Coleman, Pariskaroopa, Dog Soldier, oil on gesso board, 17½ x 14”

A decade later, the Grand Canyon State will once again play host to a sale and exhibition for the famed group of Western artists when Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West presents The Gathering: Cowboy Artists of America Annual Western Miniatures Show and Sale on April 2. The miniature sale will feature artwork from the majority of the current members, as well as art from some of the emeritus members.

The Cowboy Artists of America have had a long and storied history, with much of it originating and taking place in Arizona. It was in Oak Creek Tavern in Sedona where Joe Beeler, Charlie Dye, John Hampton and George Phippen devised the concept of the CA on June 23, 1965. Within days, they met again, this time with Fred Harman, to iron out the bylaws and name the group. They rode and roped in Arizona, held trail rides on Arizona ranches and, starting the 1974, held an annual art exhibition and sale at the Phoenix Art Museum. That show lasted there for 37 years before moving to Oklahoma, and then to Texas in 2019. Western Spirit did host a special CA retrospective in 2015 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the group, but no works were for sale.

Grant Redden, Rough and Ready, oil, 20 x 12”

“Ever since the CA’s 50th anniversary, we’ve wanted to have the group return. We talked then about getting them back to Arizona, and maybe it could be a sale, but nothing came to be,” says Western Spirit assistant director Tricia Loscher. “We started meeting again in 2017, when Martin Grelle was the president, and we really began to discuss what kind of show it could be. We knew we didn’t want to compete with the big annual event in the fall, so we came up with this miniature show. So this is our celebratory inaugural show.”

Loscher adds, “We are thrilled to be showing the CA once again, and this time all of the work will be for sale, which is even better.”

The artists participating in the show will be allowed to submit up to three works, though none of the works can be larger than 14 by 18 inches. Although miniature shows present smaller works, that usually means smaller prices, which is a hook for new and aspiring collectors, as well as veteran collectors who may want to purchase one for a gift or for a unique spot within their own collection. All of the works will be sold at a fixed-price, by-draw sale starting at 6 p.m. on April 2. The date of the show was chosen to coincide with the Scottsdale Art Auction, which will be offering a number of works from CA artists.Phil Epp, Three on the Hill, acrylic on board with artist-made frame, 12 x 16”

Chad Poppleton, Houdini, oil on panel, 14 x 18”

Fred Fellows, Riding Out a Bad Investment, bronze, 15 x 13 x 5”The Gathering: Cowboy Artists of America Annual Western Miniatures Show and Sale opens March 31 at Western Spirit in Scottsdale. It hangs through April 5. The reception and sale will be held April 2 starting at 6 p.m. Prior to the sale, at 11 a.m., there will be a panel discussion titled “CAA: Perspectives.” It will focus on the influence of the CA and its reach across the Western art world. CA artists will participate, as will Western Art Collector editor Joshua Rose.

Works in the show include new watercolors from current CA president Teal Blake, a new oil painting from John Coleman, a mixture of bronze and paintings from Harold T. Holden, classic cowboy scenes from Tom Browning, and new bronzes from both Bill Nebeker, the longest-serving active member, and Fred Fellows, the longest-serving emeritus member. Newer artists will also be showing work: C. Michael Dudash, Tyler Crow, Chad Poppleton, Mikel Donahue and Phil Epp, who has painted a purple- and pink-hued dusk scene with several horses on a rain-swept hill.Tom Browning, Strayed Away, oil, 12 x 18”

Teal Blake, Shaded Jack, watercolor, 11 x 11"

Grelle, who’s been organizing the event with the museum will be showing his new work Signs of Success, featuring a Native American rider splashing through a shallow stream in brilliant light and color. “I’m excited to be back in Scottsdale for another CA show. We’ve been talking about it for a long time, so it’s great we could make something come to fruition,” he says. “We worked really well with the museum last time so we knew what we were getting into. Hopefully this will be an annual event. We’re also excited to be timing it the way we have. We called Brad Richardson and his folks at the Scottsdale Art Auction and asked if we could come up with a concept that could be timed around the auction. They were gracious to have us. So we’ll have our event on Thursday night, which will follow the reception for the Scottsdale Art Auction on Friday and then their sale on Saturday. It should be a great weekend for anyone who admires Western art.”

Grelle says he and the other CA members are just honored to return once again to Arizona, a place that has a deep significance to the CA and its history. “We had a homecoming in 2015, and now we get to have another one. Scottsdale is starting to feel like home for us,” Grelle says, adding that the CA is in an important period. “Coming off the year we had—with Teal and Jason [Rich] and his wife Kari, and our board of directors putting together the 2019 show—it feels like we’re riding high. We were fearful holding our own show, but it worked out well. I would even say it was phenomenal. So coming back to Arizona after the year we had is going to be a lot of fun, both for us and the fans of the CA.”

When it comes to the artwork, Grelle says that smaller paintings are as special to the artists as the collectors. “I save a lot of my bigger ideas for larger-scale paintings, but that doesn’t mean the small paintings get smaller ideas. These things can be little jewels to paint, but they can also tell some great stories,” he says. “All the artists work in their own ways when it comes to miniatures—in fact a lot of them really look forward to working on a smaller scale. I’m quite comfortable with it. They’re not as elaborate as the big works, but they are always fun to paint.”

C. Michael Dudash, Rest Stop, oil on linen, 14 x 18"

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