Work in the West

Collector's Focus: On the Ranch

The Greek poet Hesiod knew to plan ahead. He wrote, “It will not always be summer: build barns.”

In all shapes and sizes, built after European plans and adapted to the many varieties of ranching and farming across the country, barns are an integral part of the architectural landscape. They shelter animals and protect grain and machinery. They stand proudly when they’re maintained, and sink slowly into the landscape when abandoned. In the East, there is the tradition of sequential attached buildings—“big house, little house, back house, barn.” In the West, barns are typically separated from the main house.Broadmoor Galleries, Semotan Ranch, oil, 10 x 12", by Kim Casebeer.

Alexandre Hogue (1898-1994) is well-known for his paintings of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. An undated lithograph depicts a Western ranch in its prime. Yet, in the foreground, there is a device from the traditions of the Hudson River School, the blasted tree signifying the cycle of nature. Thomas Cole presented it as a warning to care for the environment, and a memento mori, a reminder that life is fleeting. Hogue’s tree continues to grow, reshaped by the wind.Meyer Gallery, Hillside Barn, oil, 18 x 36", by Douglas Fryer.

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Cap Rock Ranch, lithograph on paper, by Alexandre Hogue (1898-1994). Museum purchase, 1966.64.23.

Candace M. Liddy, Broomtails, bronze with agate, 10 x 10 x 10”

In her Semotan Ranch Study, Kim Casebeer captures the forms of the buildings, including the barn, nestled in a valley below a looming peak. A line of trees, protecting the buildings from the mountain’s winds, rises beyond the ranch. Although looming, the mountain’s post-winter melt and spring-fed streams nourish the fields and the livestock pastures. Casebeer says, “I divide my time between the studio and painting outdoors en plein air. I feel strongly that plein air gives me valuable insight when working on larger pieces, and therefore I keep outdoor studies as reference. The light, shadows, wind, rain, sun and how I felt—these are all important notes to capture.”The Legacy Gallery, Cloudin’ and Crowdin’, oil, 36 x 36", by Phil Bob Borman

Sun on a field dominates Douglas Fryer’s Hillside Barn which sits among the trees beyond the field. The artist explains, “Suggestions of reality can be far more descriptive of a thing. In my work, I feel I can get closer to reality by the suggestion of forms. It also allows me to consider the metaphysical message of time, memory, spirit, belief.” His “suggestions” are like brief vignettes caught out of the corner of his eye. The sun on the field suggests its cyclical nature, growing and producing seed and then going dormant. The materials of the barn, rooted from nature, are deprived of nourishment and slowly deteriorate in the wind and the rain. The fleeting quality of nature, as well as life itself, is suggested in Fryer’s thick paint applied rapidly with trowels, palette knives and brushes, revealing the qualities of the paint and the movement of the artist through space and time.

Many artists from all over the country specialize or take delight in creating Western works that depict life on the ranch. In this section dedicated to the genre, artists and galleries share insights on some of their most prominent ranch inspired pieces.The Legacy Gallery, The Inspection, oil, 36 x 48", by Howard Post.

The Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, highlights the work of renowned painter Phil Bob Borman, who has been a professional artist since graduating from college in 1986. As a landscape artist, his work reflects the intense beauty of the West and captures the spirit of the people who live there. Borman states, “Art is a visual language, and like storytelling, the content of the story is simply where you start. It is how you tell the story that brings the smile, creates the mood and evokes the emotions…I want to communicate the spectacular vistas I see. In God’s creation there is nothing mundane. My goal is to tell the story of what He has created through fine art, one piece at a time.”Ray Darnell, You Borrowed My Horse?, oil on canvas, 14 x 14”; Susan Eyer-Anderson, And So it Begins, oil on panel, 14 x 12.” Photo by Andi Harmon; J Watson Fine Art, Untitled, oil on canvas, 50 x 70”, by Gary Lynn Roberts.J Watson Fine Art also represents many Western artists working in contemporary and traditional styles, and helps pair collectors with the perfect piece. The gallery represents prominent artists like John Bye, Tim Cox, Tom Browning and Gary Lynn Roberts. Of his Untitled oil painting pictured here, Roberts says, “In the early cattle industry in Texas, the ranchers were continuously fighting rustlers. This painting depicts Cowhands going to find the Rustler and their missing cattle in the winter.” Top: The Legacy Gallery, Runnin’ the Ridge, oil, 18 x 36”, by Tom Browning. Bottom: J Watson Fine Art, Searching for Strays, oil on canvas, 32 x 48”, by Tom Browning; Candace M. Liddy, Puddle Jumpers, bronze with agate, 15½ x 8 x 7½”

The Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, an annual invitational show for contemporary Western artists, will feature 106 artists representing a wide variety of mediums from oil and bronze, to pastel and steel kinetic sculpture. Many works of art will depict scenes of life lived on the ranch “A selection of miniature artwork hangs inside the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, from June through September,” explains BBAS director Kathy Thompson. “In mid-August, the 41st Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale gallery of works opens in anticipation of the Live Auction event on Friday, September 23. New artists to the show this year include Cowboy Artists of America members Grant Redden and Chad Poppleton, master scratchboard artist Sally Maxwell and many more.”

Thompson continues, “With Yellowstone National Park just 50 miles from Cody, one can experience the great outdoors and then take home a piece of art reflective of the country we are lucky enough to enjoy every day.”

Ray Darnell, The Guardians, oil on canvas, 24 x 18”; Susan Eyer-Anderson, Home, oil on panel, 18 x 24”

Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, January Thaw, oil, 36 x 48", by Brandon Bailey.

Having spent a great deal of his younger life in a farm and ranch setting, artist Ray Darnell quickly learned that achieving self-reliance and having a good work ethic are critical to survival in rural life. “My mother, grandmother and distant neighbors exemplified what is needed for living a full life in our remote homes,” he notes. “The Guardians is a perfect example of how I view these rugged individuals. They carried their strength with them in all that they did—from baking, keeping our home and working alongside the men on the ranch. They were the silent heroines. In You Borrowed My Horse?, you can see the strength in her face and the silent disapproval of anyone acting without permission. These traits are still present in cowgirls today, whether they live on the ranch or in a city. Theirs is the history of demonstrating perseverance, character and grit with quiet grace and love.”Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Cocktails at the Ranch, oil, 24 x 36”, by Dennis Ziemienski

Growing up with great uncles who raised Herefords, bronze artist Candace M. Liddy is taken back in time when she sees livestock grazing in tall grass and relaxing at the water holes. “I have tried in Cattle Spa to depict that hot day when cattle ease into the water to stay cool,” she says. “Horses, having been in my life for many years, are my favorite subject matter. I like to portray them in all the different settings they can be found and excel in, from horse shows to ranches, even in the wild. Capturing the energy, personality and athleticism of these beautiful creatures is my challenge and passion. Broomtails and Puddle Jumpers show horses doing their own thing!” Using agate slabs in the sculpture adds to the story Liddy tells and gives a new dimension to each work, making them one-of-a- kind pieces.Candace M. Liddy, Cattle Spa, bronze with agate, 13 x 12 x 8"

“Paint what you know and love, paint until the Good Lord takes you home,” expresses artist Susan Eyer-Anderson, who tries to paint the beauty and wonder in life that she sees around her. “Life is so precious, fragile and fleeting,” she continues. “When you look at it that way, it is easy to see the beauty in it.” Collectors can see Eyer-Anderson’s passion in works like Home. “This painting is of early morning at our own property in Southern California, near Big Bear Lake, with a few old log cabins on it, believe it or not,” she says. “Those cabins are over 100 years old.” Also featured in this section is Eyer-Anderson’s painting And So it Begins—a tender moment between a young horse and small child. —