Giddy Up

Collector's Focus: Art of the Cowboy

By John O’Hern

In 1866, the Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight, came up with the idea for the chuckwagon to feed cowboys on long cattle drives. Equipped with easily preserved food, a water barrel and a coffee grinder, as well as all the utensils needed for preparing and eating, it was the center of the cattle drovers non-working day. Broadmoor Galleries, Cowboy’s Lunch, oil on canvas, 48 x 72”, by Benjamin Wu.

Benjamin Wu depicts a typical scene around a chuckwagon in his 4-by-6-foot painting, Cowboy’s Lunch. After studying art in his native China, Wu came to the United States in 1986. Trained in figurative realism, he became interested in the pioneer American West. Cowboy’s Lunch is full of fine detail from the utensils to the cowboy’s regalia, inviting the eye to travel throughout the large canvas. It is a short period of calm in the cowboy’s day. When the cowboys returned to the trail, the cook cleaned up and packed up and later set up again to prepare their next meal.Trailside Galleries, Coffee Break’s Over?, oil on linen wood panel, 12 x 16", by Alfredo Rodriguez

Legacy Gallery, Chasin’ Paint, oil, 12 x 28", by Tom Browning

Depictions of the cowboy in the American West are often full of action—the labors of rustling and the excitement of rodeos where they showed off their skills and had a chance to win some extra money. But there were the brief quiet moments.

Alfredo Rodriguez depicts the end of one of those moments in Coffee Break’s Over?. Rodriguez grew up in Mexico and watched American Western movies that fueled an interest in the American West of the 1800s. His mother gave him a set of watercolors when he was 6 years old. He says, “I discovered a new world of possibilities to create, experiment and explore.” He later used his painting skills to bring in some extra money for his parents and eight siblings. Perhaps that sensitivity developed his sense of empathy for the subjects of his paintings. The mustachioed vaquero in his painting hears the call to work as he contemplates the pleasure of his final sip of coffee from his battered tin mug.Legacy Gallery, 4 AM, etching, ed. 81 of 125, 9¾ x 9, by Bob Coronato

Even in the course of the workday, there are times when the work is quiet and routine as Nathan Solano depicts in his Southern Colorado Cowboys. Solano didn’t begin his painting career until he was 40. He had been a waiter and bartender, worked in a steel mill, and later as an illustrator, eventually working as an art director for several art agencies. Having been an illustrator, design and composition are strong elements in his paintings. Now living in southern Colorado, he has spent time working on Colorado ranches, gaining a sense of the relationship of cowboys, horses and cattle in the sometimes sunny and sometimes stormy weather of the region. The cowboys and animals here are silhouetted against the vast sky as the sun highlights their outlines.Top, from left: C.M. Russell Museum, Christmas Meat, 1915, watercolor, by Charles M. Russell (1864-1926). Collection of the C.M. Russell Museum; Gift of Josephine Trigg; Art Exchange Gallery, Paleo Field to Table, acrylic on 120-year-old handwritten deed documents attached to canvas, 36 x 36”, by Terry Browder. Bottom, from left: Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Invocation, oil on linen, 48 x 36”; Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, La Competencia, oil on linen, 30 x 40”

Artists, galleries and museums continue to discuss their stories and inspirations throughout this section dedicated to the life and ways of the cowboy. Continue reading to also enjoy advice on collecting art from this popular genre.

“The influence of the American Cowboy has had a huge impact on American culture,” notes Legacy Gallery. “The sense of wonder and adventure in the cowboy way of life has been inspiring to many great artists.” That inspiration mixed with the experience of growing up surrounded by beautiful landscapes is what fueled the artists featured here: Tom Browning, Grant Redden and Bob Coronato. Abend Gallery, Southern Colorado Cowboys, acrylic on canvas, 15 x 30", by Nathan Solano

Legacy Gallery, Nocturn, oil, 22 x 28", by Grant Redden

Tom Browning has been painting professionally since 1972. Starting out with Western and wildlife as a choice of subject matter, Browning has had a multifaceted career that has provided many incredible paintings of different subjects and mediums. His love of the West has always been his biggest inspiration that has kept the Western theme alive on his easel. Now working primarily in oils, Browning feels he is creating his strongest and most meaningful work. Grant always had the desire to paint, so he naturally looked at the landscape, the animals and the people as subjects for his creative impulse. Bob Coronato is an artist of cowboys and Native Americans in highly realistic style. From his childhood, he had a love of Western subject matter. Bill Nebeker, Rim Rider, bronze, 20 x 18 x 8"

“When selecting your next piece of art,” says Legacy, consider the artist’s inspiration and what they are trying to tell. With many of the great Western Artists, you can see a glimpse into their life and all the adventure that comes with the wild West.”

Terry Browder, represented by Art Exchange Gallery, is a talented Texas artist that focuses on Native American history. The land deeds used in his painting Buffalo Prayer #2, are from Parker County, Texas, and the image is a graphic depiction of Chief Quanah Parker (both he and the county were named after his Grandfather Parker). “We reflect on the powerful imagery and the moving history attached to this painting,” says the gallery. The painting Paleo Fields to Table, has the same feel as a collage surface, and the text showing through gives a historic ledger style to the image.Top, from left: Art Exchange Gallery, Buffalo Prayer #2, acrylic on 120-year-old handwritten deed documents attached to canvas, 48 x 48”, by Terry Browder; Bill Nebeker, Made Mama Mad, bronze, 24 x 23 x 16” . Bottom, from left: Cheryl Koen, Teamwork, oil on linen panel, 20 x 24”; Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, A New Day, oil on linen, 34 x 22”

The painterly brushwork and the combination of collage and implied texture provides a rich surface.

As a boy living on a ranch near Prescott, Arizona, Bill Nebeker watched his dad living the cowboy way, and that lifestyle filled his imagination. “I have always enjoyed participating in calf and team roping events and helping local ranchers gather cattle for branding,” says the artist. “Being a member of Cowboy Artists of America for 43 years has taken me to ranches from Hawaii to Nebraska. Whether I portray contemporary cowboys working cattle, horses bucking, team ropers at rodeos or historic cattle drives of the Old West, I want people to smell, feel and sense the emotions of the stories I tell in bronze. I have tried to model the lifestyle of ranchers and cowboys in my personal ethic of hard work, love of family, country and respect for people, animals and the land.”JoAnn Peralta, Stagecoach of the Rio Grande 1865, oil, 20 x 24"

Bill Nebeker, Sun Fishin’ Son of a Gun, bronze, 14 x 12 x 7"

When collecting, Nebeker says, “Don’t only buy what is the popular trend, but look for pieces that tell stories of the unique and special cultural lifestyle of cowboys and ranchers portrayed in the art. In today’s impersonal, fast-paced world, look for art that goes deeper into the real meaning behind being a cowboy or cowgirl.”

As a child of the 1950s, Cheryl Koen grew up in a West Texas town where one of the local icons was also a national icon—a seven-time world champion roper riding the same distinctive black steed for each victory. “The independent, rugged natures of cowboys and their culture became an emblem across America, celebrated on the silver screen, in rodeo parades and on TV shows like Bonanza,” Koen says. “My painting Teamwork honors the partnerships between cowboys, their horses and each other.”C.M. Russell Museum, The Jerkline, 1912, oil on canvas, 24¼ x 36", by Charles M. Russell (1864-1926). Collection of the C.M. Russell Museum; Gift of Fred Birch.

Koen’s advice to collectors is to “buy what you love, what speaks to you, whether through colors or subject matter.”

America’s cowboy artist, Charles M. Russell, lived the life he recorded in his art.
“Many of the subjects in his paintings and sculptures were real people and friends of his, such as wagon master Johnny Matheson, seen in The Jerkline,” says Tom Figarelle, executive director at the C.M. Russell Museum. Matheson and Russell were friends and spent countless evenings around a campfire. Russell always saw the holiday season as a time to celebrate friendships like the one he and Matheson shared. Each year he would close his studio to visitors, pulling the latchstring shut, and went to work crafting small works of art to present as gifts during Christmas and New Year’s. Many of these works showcase Russell’s familiar Western characters partaking in the holiday spirit.”Top, from left: Den Schofield, The Westerner, oil on canvas, 20 x 16” ; Den Schofield, Trail Boss, oil on canvas, 16 x 20”. Bottom, from left: Sorrel Sky Gallery, Turning Heads, oil on canvas on panel, 12 x 24”, by Doyle Hostetler; Lane Baxter, Daddy’s Little Cowboy, oil, 30 x 20”

Gladys Roldan-de-Moras is a world-renowned international artist that paints her Spanish culture in contemporary Western art. This includes courageous, gallant Mexican escaramuzas daringly riding horse’s sidesaddle in rodeo-style festivals, romantic Flamenco señoritas clad in exuberant Andalusian dresses, and classic, delicate damsels in intimate, exquisite poses. This can be seen in pieces like La Competencia and Invocation. Roldan-de-Mora’s work continues to receive numerous awards and is in many private and public collections around the world.Mejo Okon, Branding Day, oil, 12 x 24"

Artist Den Schofield spent many summers traveling around the country. This was a habit he learned growing up. Now, it’s enabled him to get a feel for the country. Schofield was particularly drawn to the big mountains and wide-open spaces of the American West. The artist got his start as an illustrator, and this was how he made his living until the computer came along. At first Schofield could see the advantages, but soon learned that he had no talent for the technology. With his love for the West and passion for history, he began painting Western figures and subjects from the1880s, seen in pieces like The Westerner. Schofield felt that the 19th century was an extraordinary period in the American West, where we went from a vast wilderness to the development of the automobile in a mere 100 years. Pam Bunch, Just Checkin’, watercolor, 28½ x 21"

J Watson Fine Art, Line Riders, oil on canvas, 26 x 38", by G. Harvey (1933-2017)

Doyle Hostetler, represented by Sorrel Sky Gallery, developed a love for the West after meeting his wife, and spending summers in Colorado, Montana and Idaho. His subject matter has always been about wildlife and all its beauty, especially the big cats and hoofed animals of North America. The artist now lives in Arizona, which has furthered his passions. “Living in Arizona has its own branding,” says Hostetler. “One can’t help being hypnotized with the colors, the diversity in habitat and incredible wildlife! The endless possibilities ignite the passion that fires the creative engine.”Lane Baxter, Ghost Stories, oil on canvas, 24 x 40"

J Watson Fine Art in Valencia, California, represents top artists in the Western genre, including the talented G. Harvey, (1933-2017). “Harvey was a brilliant American artist,” says gallery owner Joanne Watson. “His rustic Western paintings with their wonderful depiction of cowboy life are prized by collectors. His paintings are in prominent collections, and one of his paintings, a large oil well scene from the estate of Texas businessman T. Boone Pickens, recently set a new world record at auction. Pictured here are additional beauties such as Line Riders, To Boone in Friendship and Rawhide and Roughnecks, all illustrating his passion and talent in showcasing the Western lifestyle.Sorrel Sky Gallery, Working Hands, oil on canvas on panel, 18 x 36", by Doyle Hostetler

For JoAnn Peralta, the Western genre is her favorite subject to paint, “as it entails not only my passion for Westerns, but the enthusiasm I have in the visual aspects, such as my love of horses, “she says. “Yes, the formation of the American West had many downsides with so many cruelties of life, as well as injustices…We need to take the good from the bad and learn from it... I know that American Westerns are beloved by most people, as there is always a hint of truth, honor and trying to do the right thing in the end. Both my grandfathers were big Western TV fans, and I think that’s partly why it’s in my DNA!”J Watson Fine Art, Rawhide and Roughnecks, oil on canvas, 35 x 47", by G. Harvey (1933-2017)

J Watson Fine Art, To Boone in Friendship, watercolor on paper, 4 x 5", G. Harvey (1933-2017)

Artist Lane Baxter’s spirit is that of the Old West, where she was born and raised. She remains inspired by her grandfather who lived as a cowboy, herding cattle and breaking broncos. The discipline she honed as an international opera singer, her first career, coupled with the resilience that compelled her to seek a new creative passion, has culminated in a successful painting career. Baxter now devotes her creative energy to her visual works, inspired by Western oil paintings and portraiture. Her hyper-realistic paintings reveal a reverence for the natural world, such as in Ghost Stories and Daddy’s Little Cowboy.

Lane Baxter, My Horse Croaked, oil on canvas, 30 x 20"James Andrews with Leaning Easel Fine Art, had the luxury of being raised around real cowboys, so for him, Western and wildlife art is a natural fit. “Much of what I paint is inspired by my early development on the ranch,” he furthers. “I have a deep appreciation for the American cowboy and the history of the West. Therefore, I’m driven to paint in the manner I paint. I paint [what] would appeal to me, were I looking to buy a painting. I have a rule that I’ve stuck with since I started painting. I paint what I’m passionate about. My advice to collectors would be the same. They should buy art that they love and connect with. If you buy art you connect with, you’ll never go wrong.”

The passion for artist Pam Bunch is painting either in oils or watercolors from the Western life of her heritage. This includes the life of the Western cowboy, their horses, Native Americans and the animals of the Great Plains, all holding a spot in history whether pertaining to the past or present. Due to hot Texas winds and temperatures, Bunch’s paintings are created in her studio from her personal photos. During her 30 years of painting, Bunch has won numerous awards from national and state fine art exhibitions. She is currently a signature member of the American Plains Artist and an associate member of Women Artist of the West.Shirley Quaid, Willie the Kid, oil, 14 x 11"

Growing up in Indianapolis wasn’t exactly cowboy territory, and yet Mejo Okon romped through wide open pastures as a kid. Her best friend had a pony and off they would ride. “A tiny holster and cap guns as well as my first pair of cowgirl boots sit in a special place in my studio today,” she says. Next to all things Western, she was constantly drawing and painting.

Okon finally made the move to the West more than 15 years ago. “Now I’m really living in cowboy territory and I love it!” She says. Paintings of adorable calves, statuesque longhorns, vibrant horses and cowhands working the ranch are often combined with dramatic skies. “I’m excited to recreate the magical feelings from my childhood. I want you to feel that you could reach out and touch the animals.” Raymond Wattenhofer, Trail Dust, oil on linen, 24 x 28"

With a perspective point of view and contemplation, Raymond Wattenhofer creates art that reflects the lives of contemporary cowboys, cowgirls and ranch families of the vast American West. Combining his well-honed two- and three-dimensional skills, he brings to life captivating images in his paintings and drawings. The richness of the image stimulates the viewer to pause with a lingering enjoyment of the painting or drawing within a frame.

Wattenhofer’s art is thoughtfully shaped by the spirit and fortitude of the folks who live and thrive on the ranches of the expansive Great Plains. His ability to capture the alluring beauty of the open ranch country, along with the excellent cow horses they ride, is what makes his drawings and paintings come to life and inspire the imagination of the viewer. Top, from left: Raymond Wattenhofer, Trails to the Wind, oil on linen, 26½ x 40”; Shirley Quaid, Drinkin’ in the Morning, oil, 24 x 24” . Bottom, from left: James Andrews, Another Day at the Office, oil on panel, 24 x 18”; James Andrews, Into the Sunset, oil on panel, 12 x 12”; Shirley Quaid, Sorrowful, oil, 24 x 12”

Shirley Quaid feels privileged every time she goes on a photo shoot to capture glimpses of the life of our early frontier ancestors. “Painting them adds another layer of appreciation for their hardships, character and determination,” Quaid adds. “It is important to get the details of the tack, clothing and daily life correct, but even more important, is to bring the time period alive. The emotion of the times leaps from my canvas when I am successful.”

When collecting Quaid says, “If the collector experiences even a small part of the thrill of the moment, the pull of the emotion when I am painting, then I am satisfied. Art brings so much joy into our lives and I am exceedingly happy to be a part of it. Feast your eyes and follow your heart when selecting art for your home.” —