For many decades, Hollywood had formed the foundation of the “Old West.” Projected by a light source at 24 frames per second, motion pictures formed the timeless images of the Wild West: gunfighters at high noon, cowboys roping cattle through cactus-strewn desert, bustling towns nestled in the dust and heat, saloon doors that swing open with a familiar squeak. Movies were unique because they told stories about the West, with characters, conflict, drama and suspense. 
Scottsdale Art Auction, A Glimpse of Geronimo, 1977, oil on canvas, 32 x 44”, by Arnold Friberg (1913-2010). Estimate: $30/40,000
But fans of Western art know that paintings—just a single frame of image, static and brilliant—can tell just as powerful of a story. Consider Arnold Friberg’s A Glimpse of Geronimo, available at the Scottsdale Art Auction. The work is uncompromisingly cinematic: The burnt-orange light that seems to bake the scenery in a scorching heat. The tall and magnificent horse perched heroically on a rock ledge. The officer, his shoulders wide and his jaw and chin carved from granite, glimpses into the distance. The line of riders descending the mountain behind him, creating a claustrophobic tension that heightens the drama and danger. The Apache tracker down in the rocks pointing at clues that indicates a track has been found. Though the picture doesn’t contain the story’s resolution—the Apache warrior Geronimo surrendered to the military in 1886 after a lengthy campaign in Arizona—it certainly seems to suggest a dramatic end. 
Manitou Galleries, The Day Turns Into Night, oil, 24 x 24", by Jerry Jordan.
Maxwell Alexander Gallery, Return to the River, oil, 24 x 20", by Brett Allen Johnson.
The Plainsmen Gallery, At River’s Edge, oil, 19 x 12", by Steven Lang.
Other works tell smaller stories, vignettes that can stand alone as tiny pieces of a larger whole. Consider Jerry Jordan’s The Day Turns Into Night at Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jordan, known for his quick and loose brushwork, paints three Native American figures standing under the star-filled sky outside the San Geronimo Church in Taos, New Mexico. The story is minimal, but mood and tone reveal much in the scene, which creates its own narrative.
In Return to the River, by Brett Allen Johnson and available at Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles, the drama in the paint comes from the swirling lines and color that fold and bend around the cowboy figure and the landscape. The chunks of color—which are abstract renderings of sagebrush, trees and clusters of foliage—are almost hypnotic as they lead the eye in and out of the meandering forms.
The pictures may be static, but they feel alive and the stories they tell move.
Den Schofield, Last Watch, oil on canvas, 24 x 30"
J Watson Fine Art, Wild Bill Hickock, oil on canvas, 30 x 20", by Andy Thomas.
Den Schofield, Keeper of the Peace, oil on canvas, 16 x 20"
Kenneth Ferguson, Distant Thunder, watercolor on board, archivally varnished, 20 x 20"
In the pages of this collector’s focus, readers will find works from some of the West’s most talented painters of the Old West, as well as from the galleries that represent them.
The Plainsmen Gallery in Dunedin, Florida, showcases some of the top Western artists working today, from John Coleman to Grant Redden, with exhibitions held throughout the year. The gallery has represented Steven Lang for several years now, and his work is featured in their Wildlife & Western Visions Art Show. “Steven’s paintings depict the glorious legacy of America’s West, from early homesteaders and mountain men to the U.S. Cavalry and Plains Indians, with accuracy and historic detail,” says Jill Berry of the Plainsmen Gallery. “In this painting, Steven Lang wanted to show a warrior in a quiet moment, taking a break to lead his horse to water. It captures the peaceful serenity that a connection with nature can provide.”
J Watson Fine Art, High Tail it to Freedom, oil on canvas, 36 x 48", by Andy Thomas.
Tim Joyner, Bad Man’s Bar, lithograph print (original acrylic), 12½ x 19¼"
Den Schofield captures the dramatic history of the Western frontier through his work and has gained a reputation for accurately portraying the subjects he paints. “The artists who have had the most influence on my work are Winslow Homer, Frederic Remington (especially his nocturnes), and N.C. Wyeth. Of course, I am talking about their style, not necessarily their subject matter,” says Schofield, who has read extensively about the 19th-century West and whose travels have taken him across the western United States and Canada.
Located in Valencia, California, J Watson Fine Art features the Old West paintings of Andy Thomas, among many others. A storyteller of American history, Thomas captures the scenes and characters of some of the most well-known stories of the Wild West.
Fire Maker, an oil on canvas by Sherry Blanchard Stuart, depicts a Native American man sitting in front of the light of a fire. “This painting,” she says, “is inspired by my interest in low-light subjects. The direction of the light, its intensity on the figure, revealing and defining the form and proportions of the figure in a dramatic way, is a challenge that
I enjoy sharing with collectors.”
Kenneth Ferguson, A Maiden of the Mesas, watercolor on board, archivally varnished, 24 x 24”
J Watson Fine Art, Remington Goes West, oil, 24 x 32”, by Andy Thomas.
For Montana artist Tim Joyner, his artwork has always been inspired by his “incredibly overactive imagination.” The subject matter for his paintings comes from combining Western actors together from different movies, television shows and time periods. “[It’s] definitely a different way of creating Western art, but I love creating it. If you really study my paintings you will see there is a lot of thought and humor in the composition. Who is next to who and the reason they are paired together is one of my favorite things about the process. All of my prints are high quality litho prints on heavy paper; they are personally signed by me and come with a guide to the actors featured.” 
Tim Joyner, Border Patrol, lithograph print (original acrylic), 16 x 20”
Sherry Blanchard Stuart, Fire Maker, oil on canvas, 20 x 16”
Kenneth Ferguson, Where the Buffalo Roam, watercolor on board, archivally varnished, 14 x 14”
Watercolorist Kenneth Ferguson of Kenneth Ferguson Fine Art creates vignette portraits of the peoples and animals of the Old West, from 19th-century Native American women and men, to buffalo to birds of the Southwest. “Much of my work pertains to history, including that of the American West,” says Ferguson. “With my paintings, I attempt to shake off the dust and present the past in a more colorful, contemporary way. My interests may lie in the 19th century, but I paint from the point of view of a 21st-century artist.” Offering advice to collectors, he says, “It sounds cliché, but you can’t go wrong with purchasing art that you love. Then, no matter what happens with the market, you’re good. When purchasing Western art, it’s always gratifying to take the time to delve into the many available resources regarding the history and material culture of this period; the knowledge gained will add an extra dimension of enjoyment when viewing your collection.” —
Featured Artists & Galleries
Den Schofield
501 Peak Drive, Riverton, WY 82591,
(307) 463-2207, (307) 240-1673
www.denschofield.com
J Watson Fine Art
(661) 476-7558
jwatsonfineart@yahoo.com
www.jwatsonfineart.com
Kenneth Ferguson Fine Art
(262) 374-2984
www.kennethfergusonfineart.com
Manitou Galleries
123 W. Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 986.0440
www.manitougalleries.com
Maxwell Alexander Gallery
406 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015,
(213) 275-1060,
www.maxwellalexandergallery.com
Sherry Blanchard Stuart
7077 E. Main Street, Suite 9, Scottsdale, AZ 85251,
(602) 738-4941
art@sherryblanchardstuart.com
www.sherryblanchardstuart.com
The Plainsmen Gallery
2141 Main Street, Suite H, Dunedin, FL 34698,
(727) 734-8200
www.plainsmen.com
Scottsdale Art Auction
7176 Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 945-0225, www.scottsdaleartauction.com
Tim Joyner
276 South Crest Avenue, Hamilton, MT 59840,
(406) 360-2391
jentimjoyner@msn.com
www.timjoynerart.com
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