Jim Rey had his first mustang at the age of 6 growing up in Palo Alto, California, and spent a lot of his youth at his grandfather’s ranch in the Bay Area. Today, he lives on a ranch in Colorado where his horses come up to the porch of his studio to be in the shade. He knows his horses, but it’s hard to have them there for easy reference.
RJD Gallery, He’s Never Touched Dirt and He’s Never Been Hurt, oil on wood panel, 24 x 24”, by Rachel Moseley.
In Fall Cattle Drive, a cowboy rides along a ridge, while the rest of the crew and the cattle move along below. The figures are small within the composition, allowing the vastness of the landscape to dominate. Rey says, “If it’s big country, it better look like big country.” The somber colors of fall and the approaching storm clouds are offset by the splash of red in the cowboy’s neckerchief.
Rachel Moseley’s rodeo champion in He’s Never Touched Dirt and He’s Never Been Hurt is depicted in a quiet moment, away from the hard work of ranching and the rodeo where he shows off his work skills.
“The goal of my work is to capture my subject at a reflective moment of insight when intimate conversation allows for an uncorking of long-held and often unexamined experiences,” she explains. “Rather than posing a model whileI photograph reference for my paintings, I engage my sitters in conversation, sometimes lasting hours, and shoot candidly.”
Claggett/Rey Gallery, Fall Cattle Drive, oil, 12 x 24", by Jim Rey.
Medicine Man Gallery, Giving Thanks, bronze ed. 50, 42 x 138 x 30", by Deborah Copenhaver Fellows.
Tom Browning, The Rough String, oil, 20 x 36”
“I believe that involving myself intimately with my subjects makes me a more thoughtful painter and connects me very personally to each painting. I feel a great sense of responsibility to render the emotions of my subjects accurately and honestly. I strive for each piece to give the viewer the sense of sitting across from someone during an intimate conversation.”
Deborah Copenhaver Fellows’ Giving Thanks depicts a more intimate moment as a cowboy gives thanks for “the rain, the grass and a way of life.” Her father was a world champion bronc rider and she and her brother followed in his footsteps competing in the rodeo circuit. Today, she and her husband, sculptor Fred Fellows, live on a ranch in Arizona where they raise quarter horses and create sculpture.
Her life-long love of horses and for the cowboy and cowgirl way of life are evident in her sensitive treatment of both horse and rider. The details are fine and accurate, but she has also created a mood in which the cowboy’s head is bowed in prayer and the horse’s is bowed in relaxation but with its ears up and alert, perhaps tuned in to the same place his rider has entered.
Den Schofield, The Westerner, oil on canvas, 20 x 16”
Sorrel Sky Gallery, Backlit Cowboys, oil, 30 x 16”, by Jim Rey. 
Sam Thiewes, Working in the Aspens, oil, 15 x 30”
Jim Rey remarks that “the horse and the rider are an entity, a team.”
The remaining section, dedicated to the art of the cowboy, further explores the lifestyle of the West. Artists and galleries have come together to showcase some traditional and contemporary imagery and leave behind pieces of advice for establishing a collection.
The distinctive works of Maura Allen, Chuck Middlekauff and Jim Rey, with Sorrel Sky Gallery, truly embody what the West is all about. They capture the stories, traditions and new beginnings with imagery of ranch life, the cowboy and the cowgirl. At the same time, each conveys their deep love and appreciation for their surroundings, and what its history and future mean to them. Middlekauff is representing these themes in his piece The West Goes Pop, in his colorful, energetic depiction of a cowboy surrounded by paint brushes and other artist tools. Allen contributes her contemporary piece Eureka, showing her skills with negative space to depict a cowboy on horseback.
Sam Thiewes, A Little Shade, oil, 24 x 20"
Sorrel Sky Gallery, The West Goes Pop, water media, 40 x 30”, by Chuck MiddleKauff.
Charles Dayton, Brighter Days, oil on canvas, 11 x 14”
Sorrel Sky Gallery encourages collectors to step into that space, to envision themselves in those places and to experience those moments. As they do, they create a connection with a piece of art and it becomes part of their own story.
“Throughout all of history, cowgirls have been a hard-working and an integral part of the American West,” explains Ray Darnell. The two paintings of Darnell’s, seen in this section, represent two different types of working cowgirls. Chile Farmer is a more modern art approach to today’s farm and ranch life, and Have you Seen My Horse? brings a touch of humor and flirtation to a vintage cowgirl who is ready to ride.
“My advice to a collectors purchasing this genre of art,” says Darnell, “is to find a painting that emotionally speaks to you and you will always own a treasure.” Darnell’s work can be found through his website and at La Galeria @ the Shaffer in Mountainair, New Mexico.
Dino Mehaffie, Say When, bronze, 22 x 14 x 13”
Sam Thiewes, Cholla, oil, 30 x 40”
Den Schofield, Keeper of the Peace, oil on canvas, 16 x 20"
Tom Browning, Evening, oil, 18 x 18”
Ray Darnell, Chile Farmer, oil on canvas, 24 x 24”
“Having grown up in Eastern Oregon, I have always had an appreciation for the American West,” says Tom Browning. As a kid, I was always drawing horses, cowboys and Indians, so the subject matter seemed a natural fit when I became a professional artist. Although I’ve painted many different subjects over the years, Western scenes are still by far my favorite thing to paint.”
Den Schofield has always been interested in history. “The imagery and events of the 19th-century American West represent some of the most dramatic scenes of history,” says Schofield. His art depicts these scenes with the graphic look and drama they deserve. He also suggests that when collecting art, buyers should purchase art they like.
“A number of years ago I said I would never paint Western paintings,” says Sam Thiewes. “Famous last words! It all started when doing an art show at the Stockmen Club during the Denver stock show. During the shows I had a chance to meet a number of real cowgirls. I realized that there were not a lot of artist telling their stories, so while getting involved doing paintings of cowgirls and their lives, I found myself shooting a lot of photos of round-ups and cattle drives.”
Sorrel Sky Gallery, Eureka, acrylic, 48 x 72”, by Maura Allen
Once again, Thiewes realized he was only telling part of the story. “I was ignoring the cowboy,” Thiewes explains. “So that brings me to my work today; cowgirls, cowboys, cattle, horses and ranch life.”
Fine art painter and sculptor Dino Mehaffie, started his bronze piece Spur Check, depicting a cowboy leaning on a mailbox to check his spurs, as an oil painting based on a photo by Robert Warren. “After the painting was done, I thought it would make a great sculpture,” Mehaffie explains. His other piece shown in this section, Say When, also had different beginnings as a demonstration piece during the Pasadena Art Walk in 2019, for the California Art Club.
Charles Dayton, Searching, oil on linen, 12 x 12”
Ray Darnell, Have You Seen My Horse?, oil on canvas, 48 x 24”
Dino Mehaffie, Spur Check, bronze, 13 x 25 x 5”
“I liked the expression of the sculpting so much, I decided to make it into a full sculpture,” Mehaffie furthers.“I added the hat and the Western type clothing and when I was done, it had the feeling of the expression and attitude of the Doc Holiday character in Tombstone.”
Great cowboy paintings integrate the central elements of Western art—the figure, animals and the landscape. “The artist needs to pull these elements together in a competent manner to tell a story and represent the beauty of the West,” says Charles Dayton. “I believe collectors can elevate the genre by supporting work produced with an emphasis on good drawing, composition, color relationships and authenticity.” —
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