The annual Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, held at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, celebrates its 39th year. The show is held during Rendezvous Royale week, with events beginning Monday, September 14, with Painting on the Porch led by artist David Mensing and ending with the always anticipated Quick Draw & Brunch on Saturday, September 19. Attendees can partake in various happenings throughout the week, including lectures and artist demonstrations, though attendance will be limited, and social distancing and additional safety measures will be in place. The live auction will be available in both an in-person and online format, as well as high-quality images of artists’ work, which collectors will also have the option to view through the event’s newly designed website.
LaQuincey Reed works on a sculpture during the 2019 Quick Draw event.
In total, the Buffalo Bill Show will feature the artwork of 105 contemporary Western artists, including Kathy Wipfler, Matthew Sievers, Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey, Michael Blessing, Adam Smith, Stephanie Hartshorn, Dennis Ziemienski, Joe Kronenberg, Kyle Sims, Tim Shinabarger and many others.
Michele Usibelli during last year’s Quick Draw.
“Western life on the ranch and the range has been a wonderful source for painting, and a potential romantic relationship is always intriguing,” says Ziemienski, who brings to the show a piece titled Red Truck Rendezvous. He describes the painting, “My cowgirl on horseback is having one of those chance encounters with a cowboy driving my favorite 1952 red Chevy pickup. Who knows what will follow?”
Joe Kronenberg, Lonesome Reflection, oil, 48 x 24”
Sculptor LaQuincey Reed explains that his piece By Blood is about the relationship between Native Americans and African Americans in the West. “Historically and even today, the relationship has been complicated. During the Old West, some Blacks were slaves while others were accepted as members of tribes and married and had families within the tribe. There are also Black tribal members who were able to gain prominence in certain tribes. Though, today some tribes struggle with how to accept Blacks that have history within the tribe...Specifically in this piece, I focus on acceptance,” he says.
Adam Smith, Back Track, acrylic, 15 x 26”
Don Weller, who is new to the show this year, brings three watercolors. Among these is Down In, depicting the interior of Mary Jane Canyon in the desert east of Moab, Utah. “Red canyon walls slowly grow beside the creek and gradually become quite grand,” Weller describes the painting. “The canyon narrows, and the walls grow to hundreds of feet high, the sky is only a sliver of blue. If you follow it far enough, it ends in a very dark place with the roaring noise of crashing water falling out of the tiny ceiling of sky hundreds of feet above.”
David Santillanes, Twilight, oil, 32 x 24”
Mark Kelso brings to the event a painting of wolves inspired by a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. “I came close to a pack of wild wolves crossing the road. Several stopped just off of the road to howl, rally and then move on,” he says. “The time seemed right for this new painting, which for me symbolizes the importance of family, connectedness (to nature and to one another), and above all, strength in unity—something I feel we could all stand reminding of during these difficult times, when so many feel the country to be divided.”
Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale
September 14-19, 2020
Buffalo Bill Center for the West,
720 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, WY 82414
(307) 587-5002,
www.rendezvousroyale.org
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