Home on the Range

Arizona painter Shawn Cameron paints what she knows—ranching in the American West.

By Gina Teichert

“I paint what I love,” says Shawn Cameron. “That’s important, I think, if you’re going to be good at anything you do.” Hot off the heels of a sell-out night at the Briscoe Western Art Museum and a calendar packed with blockbuster shows, the Arizona native is doing what she loves and doing it well.

Telling the stories of today’s cowboys goes beyond appreciation for Cameron. It’s also about painting what she knows. “That’s my heart,” she says of cattle ranching. “That’s what my family has spent over 150 years doing in Arizona. That was our life forever. We raised our kids out on a ranch.”

Those early years presented both challenges and opportunities, though she and husband, Dean, have recently moved closer to town. “I’ve lived hours from the mailbox, and no electricity, and I loved it,” says Cameron, who paints daily life on working ranches. Warm Dust Rising, oil on canvas, 16 x 12”

With two of her children following in the family trade 30 years later, she still pulls inspiration from the simple moments she built her career upon.

She portrays vignettes of working cattle on the range and in the pen; newborn foals and baby calves; and horses, horses, and more horses. In fact, Cameron’s authentic paintings of stock horses will be included in a forthcoming book published by the National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech University.Shawn Cameron in her studio

While she usually gathers reference material on her home turf, in 2019, Cameron had the opportunity to visit the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. Accompanied by Western artists Mary Ross Buchholz and Jan Mapes, the trip offered a change of scenery and a chance to paint mares from the venerable ranch cavvy.

For Cameron, revealing everyday glimpses of ranch life is about making connections beyond the corral. “It’s been interesting to see how many people respond to the story in my work,” she says. From the Phippen Museum, to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, to the Calgary Stampede, the show circuit affords Cameron opportunities to meet artists and collectors from around the world.
“I get to see a lot more art than I used to,” says Cameron, remembering the days when a long dirt road stood between her and the galleries of Scottsdale and Phoenix.A Ritual of Spring, oil on canvas, 18 x 24”

Coming into her own as an artist has also changed the way Cameron views openings and events. “It’s a transition for sure—going from being scared to death of being in public to going there and being able to enjoy who’s standing in front of you—where they’re from and what is it they like about the work,” notes Cameron. “It’s part of maturing, I guess you’d say.”

For kickstarting her journey from shy artist to art world regular, Cameron credits her husband and a couple of persistent family friends. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. I’d still be in the closet painting or something,” she says of Dean’s support. “Because he knew I was so shy, he brought people to me. And they came to me and they really encouraged me and helped me get direction.”Coral Dust, oil on canvas, 16 x 20”Her formative influences include Cowboy Artists of America figureheads Joe Beeler and Bill Owen who “would come to the ranch to visit, or rope, or just have dinner,” says Cameron. “Joe used to call and say, ‘OK, Shawn, have you been in the studio? You need to just get in there and let that paint fly,’” she remembers.

Studying with other artists certainly played a role in finding her own voice and style, says Cameron. “I learned something from everybody, and I think that it helps to have that attitude that there’s always something to learn,” she says. “If I saw someone that I thought, ‘Well, I love the way they handle their edges,’ or ‘I love that style—it’s painterly and yet it’s focused,’ I would sign up. I would take a workshop.”Cooling Off, oil on canvas, 16 x 20”

As for younger painters who have caught her eye, fellow Briscoe Night of Artists alum Abigail Gutting tops the list. “She does horses very, very well,” says Cameron. “I hope I always see ways that I’ve got to grow,” Cameron notes, emphasizing the value of sharing knowledge between artists and being a lifelong student. In addition to attending shows again, Cameron points to the internet as a community-building tool, though nothing truly compares to seeing art in person.A Working Man, oil on canvas, 18 x 24”“Social media is probably the biggest change—in that people can access me,” she says, thinking back to a time when she could “hide” behind her easel. “I liked that,” she laughs. “That worked great for me.” Sharing ranch life with a broader audience, swapping comments with artists and collectors, and discovering new work in the digital era has been fun too, she concedes. “I’ve really enjoyed the journey.” As for what the future holds, Cameron says, “I get to keep doing what I love doing.”