The state of Arizona, also known as the Grand Canyon state, is typically thought of as dry, hot and almost unhabitable during the summer months. The Western Art Collector offices are headquartered in Scottsdale (a suburb of the greater Phoenix area) and we can attest that while we do see our fair share of cactus varieties and put up with sweltering temperatures in the summer, there is also an abundance of life and a diversity in landscape, foliage and climate throughout the year, and throughout the state. Not only is there a blossoming of flora and fauna, but a thriving and flourishing Western art and cultural scene to boot.
Scenic view in Sedona. © Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau.
We begin your Arizona art adventure tour here, in Scottsdale, where you will find quite the artistic hub known as “gallery row” or the Old Town Arts District—home to more than 40 art galleries and a variety of restaurants, hotels and shops. Nestled among the galleries is the renowned Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, offering high-quality exhibitions that celebrate the Western art genre. The museum offers “educational programs and community outreach addressing regional history, particularly as reflected by the arts and the dynamic cultural exchanges that have marked the transition of the Old West into the New West,” reads the museum website.
Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza in Prescott, AZ. Rough Riders statue. Courtesy Experience Prescott – The Office of Tourism.Only a 20-minute drive will find you in another art hub located in Downtown Phoenix. The area is buzzing with creative energy, evident in building murals, boutique hotels with pop-up art shows and the First Friday art event, but the Western spirit is also ever present. Both the Heard Museum, dedicated to American Indian art, and the Phoenix Art Museum, with a collection of more than 20,000 objects, host extraordinary exhibitions and permanent displays that cater to art of the West.
Heading to the northern part of the state, you’ll see smaller, cooler, forested towns like Flagstaff, Sedona or Prescott, but don’t let their size fool you! These regions have a history all their own and contribute greatly to the Western art scene. Prescott in particular is well known for its cowboy culture and historic downtown area that includes Whiskey Row, a strip that at one time, due to the gold rush, hosted more than 40 saloons.
Desert Botanical Gardens in Scottsdale, AZ. Courtesy Visit Phoenix. Photo by Adam Rodriguez.
Old Town Arts District, Scottsdale, AZ. Courtesy Jenna McKone for Experience Scottsdale.
The courthouse square sits at the center of the downtown area and features several bronze sculptures of figures on horseback around its perimeter. The most famous of the bunch is Rough Riders, also known as the Bucky O’Neill Monument, erected on July 3, 1907, and sculpted by Solon Borglum. “…Technically it’s not a statue of Buckey O’Neill,” explains the local Phippen Museum, which represents art and heritage of the American West. “The statue is a tribute to the Rough Riders (The First Volunteer United States Cavalry) who fought in the Spanish American War of 1898, [but] it was Bucky who organized the local call for volunteers.”
Phippen representatives continue to share that “very briefly, O’Neill was a remarkable citizen of Prescott, [who] arrived in Prescott in 1882 and became a journalist, then a law clerk, then a lawman and finally the mayor of Prescott…Theodore Roosevelt became famous for leading the Rough Riders to the war where these soldiers from Arizona and New Mexico became heroes, as did Roosevelt.”
Phippen Art Museum in Prescott, AZ. Courtesy Phippen Art MuseumContinuing to the southern region of the state, you will also not be disappointed by the art scene in places like the old mining town of Bisbee and the adobe-speckled Tucson, where there are many fine art galleries and museums like the Tucson Museum of Art, with core values that include collecting and exhibiting in areas of Latin American art and art of the American West, among many others.
Desert Botanical Gardens in Scottsdale, AZ. Courtesy Visit Phoenix. Photo by Rachel Bires.Even for Arizona residents like us at Western Art Collector, we continually find new and compelling opportunities and facts about our wonderfully diverse state, and often through the assistance of the many art institutions and artists that also occupy Arizona. While we’d love to include even more artistic highlights from our home in the Southwest, we encourage you to read through the following pages to hear from a few of them yourselves.
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Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute
2021 N. Kinney Road
Tucson, AZ 85743
(520) 883-3024
arts@desertmuseum.org
www.desertmuseumarts.com
Founded in 1952, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is recognized as an innovative institution whose mission is to inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.
Museum exterior view. Photo by Jay Pierstorff.
Mrs. Priscilla Baldwin founded the ASDM Art Institute in the 1990s with the goal of promoting conservation through art education. She envisioned ways to inspire others to embrace conservation while developing their artistic skills. Today, the Art Institute provides classes, art exhibits and a traveling art collection, all of which inspire visitors from around the world.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute, Jewel Beetle, glass and steel, by Alex Heveri. Photo by Jay Pierstorff.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute, Common Green Darner (Anax Junius), glass and steel, by Alex Heveri. Photo by Jay Pierstorff.“In our efforts to highlight art and conservation, we are hosting Glass in Flight, a sculpture exhibit featuring 21 steel and glass sculptures of gigantic, realistic insects created by Alex Heveri,” notes museum representatives. “Sunlight through the colored glass mimics the transparency and iridescence of insect wings, intensifying the illusion of movement and life.”
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Brian Lebel’s Mesa Old West Show & Auction
1041 Westend Drive, Suite 107
Greensboro, GA 30642
(480) 779-9378
contactus@oldwestevents.com
www.oldwestevents.com
Brian Lebel’s Old West Events returns to celebrate authentic Western American art, antiques and collectibles for public sale for their 33rd annual Mesa Old West Show & Auction. This year’s show and sale will be hosted at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona, from Saturday, January 21, through Sunday, January 22.
The Mesa Old West Show & Auction main showroom at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona.
“[The show] features approximately 150 national dealers of Western art, antiques, apparel, décor, jewelry, collectibles, antique firearms, Native American arts and artifacts, spurs, saddles, photography, books and other fine Western merchandise in all price ranges,” explains show founder Brian Lebel. “Museums, authors, magazines and non-profits are also represented. Buy, sell, trade or browse with the best dealers in the business!”
Approximately 700 lots will cross the block in two live sessions, Friday and Saturday, with sales beginning at 5 p.m. both nights, and a live preview available Friday and Saturday. Live, online, mobile, phone and absentee bidding options are available.
Brian Lebel’s Old West Events, Jim Shoulders Trophy Buckle, The 1949 I.R.A. Champion Bull Rider trophy buckle by McCabe, sterling and 10k gold, 2½ x 3½”
Lebel notes that auction highlights in the fine art category include works by noted Western artists such as E.I. Couse, Edward Borein, John Fery, Bert Geer Phillips, Carl Oscar Borg, Edgar Paxson, Will James, Olaf Weighorst and many others. The auction will feature an eclectic and exciting mix of items in other categories, including two original oil paintings by contemporary artist Dave Powell that are prominently featured in the hit television series Yellowstone, used to create the art that hangs behind the desks of John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes).
Brian Lebel’s Old West Events, The Fight at Walker’s Creek, oil on canvas, 24 x 36.” Featured in the TV series “Yellowstone,” hanging behind John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner’s) desk at the Dutton Yellowstone Ranch, by Dave Powell. Estimate: $25/35,000
The sale will offer a rare second chance for collectors to purchase some of the premiere lots from the original Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum auctions in 2010, including Roy’s iconic Nudies of Hollywood custom gold-studded double holster rig and matching spurs; a stellar selection of vintage silver parade and show saddles, including a full coverage Don Ellis saddle; and an impressive and important estate collection of antique and contemporary spurs will be offered, including some of the finest examples from both well-known and rare makers and artisans.
Show tickets and additional information can be found on the event website.
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Ray Tigerman
www.raytigerman.com
Arizona artist Ray Tigerman, represented by Casa de Tesoro in Tubac, Arizona, hovers over a large canvas, 6 feet by 4 feet. His palette knife, coated in a measured amount of cobalt paint, seems under-scaled compared to the surface area before him. He leans over and swipes the paint in a delicate, precise motion across the already vibrant layers of textured paint, adding to the sculpturesque aesthetics of his creation.
Ray Tigerman, Before the Storm, acrylic, 48 x 60”
Ray Tigerman, Star Warrior, acrylic, 72 x 48”“When people see me working, almost everyone first comments on my technique, asking me if my layers are entirely constructed of paint or do I use a medium or both, then on the fact that I paint flat,” Tigerman says. “I use only heavy-body acrylics when creating my pieces and I choose to paint flat because it allows the thick paint to remain where I placed it until it dries.”
Ray Tigerman, The Sentinel, acrylic, 72 x 36”Tigerman describes his unique style, with a laugh, as “layer intensive, Southwestern abstract figurative.” His subjects are bold and center-staged, often evoking a sense of mystery and nostalgia and always telling a story. Tigerman will be at the Celebration of Fine Art show in Scottsdale, Arizona, from January 14 through March 26, 2023.
For a complete list of galleries that represent Ray’s work, please visit www.raytigerman.com.
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Desert Caballeros Western Museum
21 North Frontier Street
Wickenburg, AZ 85390
(928) 684-2272
www.westernmuseum.org
The Desert Caballeros Western Museum’s new mission is to share the diverse stories, cultures and experiences of the West. To highlight this diversity, the museum offers changing exhibits in addition to their permanent exhibitions. The museum also features a room dedicated to detailed dioramas that depict the history of Wickenburg and the desert frontier, and a lower level that has a life-sized recreation of 1912 downtown Wickenburg that will captivate both children and adults.
The entrance to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum.
Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Winter Light at Taos, oil on canvas, 27 x 33¼”, by Joni Falk.
Founded in 1960 and opened in 1969 in Wickenburg, Arizona, the core of the museum’s art collection are prized works by George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, the Cowboy Artists of America and the Taos Society of Artists. Fine art by Deborah Copenhaver Fellows, Cynthia Rigden, Billy Schenck, Curt Walters and more offer a contemporary perspective.
Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Southwest Summer Shower, bronze, ed. of 100, 15½ x 7 x 5”, by Doug Hyde.The museum’s best-known annual exhibition, Cowgirl Up!, has been going for more than 17 years, and is now one of the longest-running, women-specific art exhibitions in the country.
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The Erin Hanson Gallery
7117 E. Main St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 336-2864
scottsdale@erinhanson.com
www.erinhanson.com
The Erin Hanson Gallery showcases the bold and vivacious oil paintings of landscape artist Erin Hanson. A blend of modern expressionism and classic impressionism, Hanson’s colorful and unique paintings bring new life to the contemporary art scene. The artist’s works are collected by art museums and private collectors worldwide.
Erin Hanson Gallery entrance.
Erin Hanson, Saguaro Sky, oil on canvas, 60 x 60”
Erin Hanson, Saguaro Glow, oil on canvas, 14 x 11”
The Erin Hanson Gallery also has locations in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and McMinnville, Oregon.
“So much of Arizona is wild color,” says Hanson. “I hope visitors will come and experience Arizona’s landscapes through the lens of impressionism at my gallery. I guarantee they will see the landscapes they love painted in a way they have never seen captured before.”
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Faust Gallery
7100 E. Main Street, Suite 4
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 200-4290
www.faustgallery.com
Faust gallery, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, was opened by Bill Faust in 1996. He became interested in American Indian art when he traveled to the Southwest in 1976 with his great-aunt Lovena Ohl. Lovena was a former buyer for the Heard Museum Gift Shop and then opened her own gallery in 1978. Under her tutelage, Bill established personal and long-lasting relationships with artists and museums throughout the country. After she passed away, Bill opened his own gallery space and continued her commitment to superior quality workmanship and materials in authentic American Indian Art.
Faust Gallery, Red Mesa, Late Day, oil, 12 x 36”, by Steve Latimer.Today, Bill looks for artists who create unique and multi-faceted work which stands the test of time. He looks back at his friendship and representation of noted Hopi jeweler Charles Loloma (1921–1991) which began in 1981. Loloma’s jewelry was “ahead of its time” with designs that remain cutting-edge 30 years later. It is this foundation of strength in design and quality that is sought out in each of the gallery artists.
Faust Gallery, Marble Canyon Shadows, oil, 24 x 36”, by Steve Latimer.
The gallery has represented other major jewelers, potters and painters depicting the West, as seen in the work of Steve Latimer, pictured here. One of Latimer’s favorite natural features to experience and capture are the mesas on Navajo land in Northern Arizona. “I’ve painted these mesas nine or 10 times in different perspectives and times of day,” he says. “I’m constantly coming back to them in my painting.”
Faust Gallery, Canyon Shadows, oil, 24 x 36”, by Steve Latimer.Faust Gallery invites you to join them in a unique cultural experience as the gallery explores the historic and current trends and fashion in American Indian jewelry and art.
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King Galleries
7077 E. Main Street, #20
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 481-0187
www.kinggalleries.com
King Galleries celebrates its 26th year in Scottsdale in 2023. The gallery includes Native American ceramics along with regional paintings and bronzes. Featured ceramic Native artists include Tammy Garcia, Nathan Youngblood, Virgil Ortiz, Susan Folwell, Nancy Youngblood and Al QÖyawayma, with bronzes by Tammy Garcia and Autumn Borts-Medlock. Paintings by Andrea Vargas, Mike Esch, Jeff Aeling, Kwani Povi Winder, Marla Allison, Marcia Molnar, Andrew Florea, Mary Calengor and Kenneth Ferguson are also represented.
Exterior view of King Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona. Images courtesy King Galleries.“Throughout our winter/spring season in Scottsdale, we will have new paintings by each of our gallery artists,” says gallery owner Charles King. “Vargas, Florea and Molnar paint landscapes of the Southwest. Kwani Povi Winder is from Santa Clara Pueblo and is one of the rising stars of Native art for her personal depictions of Native life and culture. Mary Calengor and Mike Esch are both famous for their detailed, realistic paintings.”
King Galleries, A Noble Heritage, oil on linen, 26 x 15”, by Kwani Povi Winder.
King Galleries, Arizona Back Country, oil on linen, 11 x 14”, by Andrew Florea.Stepping through the doors of King Galleries is an introduction to the history of art in clay for the past century. The art tells a visual story as you walk through the gallery and the knowledgeable staff add perspective and understanding to the art on display.
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Legacy Gallery
7178 E. Main Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 945-1113
www.legacygallery.com
The Legacy Gallery has been a staple in the art world for the past 35 years. Their showroom is on the corner of Main Street and Scottsdale Road, right in the heart of the arts district. They represent the top Western artists including Martin Grelle, Kyle Polzin, John Coleman, Bill Anton, Glenn Dean, Tim Shinabarger, David Mann and Mark Maggiori to name a few.
Legacy Gallery, Entering the Shrine, oil, 50 x 56”, by Mark Maggiori.Owners Brad and Jinger Richardson are second-generation art dealers using their expertise to create an education-based atmosphere through their sales staff. “We provide fine art that stands the test of time for all collector levels—from established connoisseurs to new enthusiasts,” explains gallery representatives.
Legacy Gallery, Top of Their World, oil, 38 x 40”, by C. Michael Dudash.
Legacy Gallery, Land of the Stolen Ponies, oil, 36 x 36”, by John Moyers.The Richardson’s recently opened a second Legacy Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They are also the new owners of Manitou Galleries of Santa Fe, where you can find the finest collections of contemporary Western paintings, sculpture, Native American and fine jewelry.
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Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery
6872 E. Sunrise Drive, Suite 130
Tucson Arizona 85750
(520) 722-7798
sales@medicinemangallery.com
www.medicinemangallery.com
Medicine Man Gallery is entering its 31st year in business. To celebrate, th gallery has some exceptional shows planned for the 2023 winter season, including one-man shows with David Meikle on January 13, a group show celebrating Tucson’s rodeo history on February 3 and Francis Livingston on March 18.
A sample view of the Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery show room and offerings.“We have received new works from Josh Elliott, Howard Post, Ray Roberts, Bill Schenck, Dennis Ziemienski, Jim Woodside and Mateo Romero,” says gallery owner Mark Sublette. “We welcome to the gallery new artists Whitney Gardner, Priya Gore, Matt Ryder and Roseta Santiago, who have also provided the gallery the first body of artwork for sale.”
Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery, South Rim Vista, oil on canvas, 24 x 24”, by David Meikle.
Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery, Desert Evening Ride, oil on canvas, 48 x 36”, by Dennis Ziemienski.
Medicine Man always features a large selection of Native American and early Western art. “Our podcast Art Dealer Diaries is entering its sixth year with over 220 episodes dedicated to the Western and Native arts community,” Sublette notes. “Our entire inventory is online at www.medicinemangallery.com.”
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Mountain Trails Gallery
336 SR 179, Suite A201
Sedona, AZ 86336 a (928) 282-3225
www.mountaintrailssedona.com
Mountain Trails Gallery located at Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village in Sedona, Arizona, has been a fine art destination gallery for more than 35 years. From traditional subjects and styles to the more contemporary interpretations of the West, Mountain Trails Gallery continues to offer a large and varied selection of paintings, sculpture and mixed media fine art from more than 50 award-winning artists.
Mountain Trails Gallery, A Visual Harvest, oil on linen, 12 x 16”, by Sue Krzyston.
Mountain Trails Gallery, Big Iron, bronze, limited ed. 20, 26 x 8 x 8”, by Raymond Gibby.
Mountain Trails Gallery, A World Within, oil on linen, 36 x 24”, by Marcia Molnar.
The gallery presents a variety of styles and subjects from detailed, life-like traditional to colorful contemporary; from storytelling figurative, to enthralling landscapes; to intriguing still life and dynamic wildlife in sizes ranging from miniature to large, including life-size garden and monumental sculpture by some of the leading artists in Arizona, as well as the American West.
Mountain Trails Gallery continues to welcome collectors and visitors from across Arizona and from around the globe.
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Naomi Brown
www.naomibrownart.com
Naomi Brown, Organ Pipe Sunrise, oil, 50 x 50”
Naomi Brown, Magic Night at Picacho Peak, oil and acrylic, 40 x 30”
Lately, artist Naomi Brown has been taking numerous pictures of Arizona’s amazing sunsets and sunrises. “I think toward the end of summer, Arizona tends to show off almost every evening with its glorious sunsets,” Brown remarks. “My favorite spot to witness all these amazing Arizona sunsets is on my comfy outdoor couch on my back porch. I am lucky enough to have nothing blocking my back yard view. Just open desert with beautiful mature saguaros and desert chollas that seem to go on forever. My studio is nestled in between the San Tan Mountains just 45 minutes southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, in Queen Creek. This is where I find my peace and my inspiration for my paintings. I feel very fortunate to be able to live in such a beautiful, inspiring spot.”
Naomi Brown, Sonoran Sunset, oil, 40 x 30”
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Reata Pass Auctions
3525 S. Highway 69
Dewey-Humboldt, AZ 86329
(928) 632-8000
info@reatapassauctions.com
www.reatapassauctions.com
Reata Pass Auctions presents the annual Western Auction every January, with this year’s arriving January 28 and 29. The auction house also has sales quarterly featuring firearms, fine art, jewelry and collectibles. This upcoming auction features the Jim Aplan collection with a special highlight including the Marquis collection of Custer Battlefield relics, as well as the “contents of a Western art gallery,” says auction reps. This includes approximately 100 original bronzes some by John Coleman, Fred Fellows, JD McKellar, Borman, Tim Sullivan, Greg Kelsey, Keith McMasters, Bob Scriver and more.
Reata Pass Auctions front entrance in the 1970s.
The Thomas Marquis Collection of Custer Battlefield Relics.
Reata Pass Auctions, Nocturnal, oil on canvas, 24 x 36”, by Robert Meyers.
Also included will be several original pieces of art by Eanger Irving Couse, among others, along with U.S. Colt artillery revolvers, antique California clip point bowies, vintage saddles by known makers (like a sterling silver-mounted parade saddle) and John Wayne’s shirt worn in the movie The Alamo.
Find these exciting items and many more at the late January sale.
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Settlers West
6420 N. Campbell Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85718
(520) 299-2607
www.settlerswest.com
Settlers West interior showroom.
Settlers West specializes in showcasing the finest in Western, wildlife and American art, and has carefully built its roster of artists over a 50-plus-year history. While the gallery is known for representing iconic artists including Howard Terpning, Robert Griffing, William Acheff and many others, it constantly strives to seek out rising talents. Don Oelze, Mark Boedges, Kenneth Peloke, Rachel Brownlee and Jeremy Winborg are just a few of the breakthrough artists the gallery is excited to showcase.
Settlers West, A Ride at Dusk, oil, 16 x 20”, by D. Edward Kucera.
Settlers West, The Fencing Rig, charcoal, 43 x 29”, by Rachel Brownlee.
Settler’s West has made its name focusing on historical realism, but the gallery also displays impressionism and more contemporary interpretations of the West. Most importantly, the gallery strives to present important, investment-grade artwork that collectors will enjoy for a lifetime, and pass on to future generations.
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Darcie Peet
www.darciepeet.com
Artist Darcie Peet has been painting and living an outdoor life since childhood—hiking, cycling, skiing, kayaking and riding the back country of the Rockies, Canada, Alaska, the Southwest United States and Italy, and all are part of the exploration and discovery of “wild places” Peet loves in seeking singular painting material. “For me, these backcountry spaces are powerful, humbling, have such a sense of awe and deserve great respect,” she says. “Along with light, mood and a strong sense of place, it is these feelings and experiences that I strive to capture in my work.”
Darcie Peet, Desert Spring in the Air, oil, 12 x 12"With a bachelor’s from Colorado College and master’s in interior design from the University of Colorado, Denver, Peet has taught art and pursued a multi-faceted career in graphic design, advertising and commercial interior design. As a Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America, she has been honored with numerous awards and has also been guest speaker at Tucson’s Friends of Western Art and the Tucson Museum of Art’s Western Art Patrons.
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Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block
140 North Main Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 624-2333
www.tucsonmuseumofart.org
As an institution built upon the original territories of the O’odham, the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block (TMA) acknowledges the Indigenous Sonoran Desert communities, past and present, who have stewarded this region throughout generations.
Sculpture garden view at the Tucson Museum of Art. Photo by Tim Fuller.
TMA connects art to life through meaningful and engaging experiences that inspire discovery, spark creativity and promote cultural understanding. Founded in 1924, TMA encompasses an entire city block in historic Downtown Tucson and is committed to developing quality exhibitions, expanding and diversifying its collection and presenting relevant and innovative programs while broadening public access to the arts.
The museum features exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, Latin American art from ancient to today, Indigenous arts and art of the American West. A permanent collection of more than 12,000 works of art spans continents, centuries and media. TMA has recently received an extensive collection of Indigenous artworks from Scottsdale collector James T. Bialac. The collection, numbering about 400 works, consists largely of paintings, prints, multimedia work and exhibition posters of historic significance. Most of the works date to the late-20th and early-21st centuries, although the collection also includes some examples of early 20th -century representations.
Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, Title Unknown, oil on canvas. 17 x 20,” by Hyrum Joe (Diné). Collection of the Tucson Museum of Art. Gift of James T. Bialac.
Included in this donation is a broad spectrum of artists and styles. Prominent names include David Bradley (Chippewa), T.C. Cannon (Kiowa), Woody Crumbo (Potawatomi), Hyrum Joe (Diné), Dan Namingha (Hopi), Kevin Red Star (Absáalooke) and Fritz Scholder (Luiseño), who have work in important collections across the United States. —
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