Tracing its origins back to 1981, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Invitational Western Art Show & Sale is one of the longest-running art shows in Western art. This year’s show, presented by the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum and timed to coincide with the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, will be the 42nd edition of the storied event.
Marlin Rotach, Where Mountains Meet the Sky, watercolor, 31 x 25”
Events kick off on July 20 with an opening reception at the Wyoming governor’s residence, before heading over to the museum, both of which are in Cheyenne, Wyoming. July 20 also features the unique Jump-the-Gun event, which allows collectors to immediately purchase artwork prior to the normal fixed-price, by-draw sale. Skipping the normal channels comes at a premium price, though, which offers collectors a tantalizing choice: buying artwork at a higher price now or missing out on a purchase later on.
Laurie Lee, By the Seat of His Pants, oil on board, 16 x 12”
The public opening of the show will be held July 21, and the artwork will remain on view through August 13. Artworks in the exhibition include Marlin Rotach’s Where Mountains Meet the Sky, a glorious mountain creek scene with clear sky; Guadalupe Barajas’ bear bronze, Testing the Winds; Mary Lou Pape’s lovely deer painting titled Hidden Treasure; and Cheryl Harley-Volz’s graphite drawing Pancho and Lefty, showing two horses drawn on antique sheet music.
One cowboy work in the show is Laurie Lee’s oil on board painting, By the Seat of His Pants,showing a man rescuing a little boy from a sheep. At many rodeos around North America, children can participate in the festivities by riding sheep. The event is called Mutton Busting, and it is often performed between major events at rodeos. The children wear helmets and other protective gear, and they rarely get hurt, but this subject needed rescuing, the artist says. “He truly was saved by the seat of his pants,” Lee says.
Mary Lou Pape, Hidden Treasure, oil on canvas, 24 x 24”
The artist has done the Cheyenne Frontier Days Invitational Western Art Show & Sale so many times that she has lost count—“35 years seems right,” she says. “I have done it so long they’ve changed the name several times. I think they called it the Governor’s Show back then,” Lee adds. “The first year I got in I was screaming with delight. It was such an honor that I remember crying with excitement. Ever since, I keep coming back because the people are so much fun and it’s always a great experience.” —
42nd Annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Invitational Western Art Show & Sale
July 20-August 13, 2023
Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, 4610 Carey Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82001
(307)-778-7290 www.oldwestmuseum.org
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