Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Focus, watercolor,  27 x 27", by Marlin Rotach.

The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is a top-tier Western museum that showcases the history and heritage of the American West and the Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Celebration. The museum boasts a vast collection of noteworthy items from across the Western region and a stunning collection of Western art donated by supporters. The museum’s marquee event, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale, now in its 43rd year, features a wide range of classic Western art in various mediums. 

Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Ride for the Brand, bronze, 24½ x 20 x 6", by Chris Navarro.

Held annually every July, the show includes established artists such as Chris Navarro and Brandon Bailey, as well as up-and-coming artists like Kathryn Leitner and Robert Spooner. The 2023 Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale runs from July 20 to August 13 and is a must-see event for art lovers and Western enthusiasts looking to experience the rich history and culture of the American West.

Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Winter Coat, oil, 12 x 16", by Tucker Smith.

The Buffalo Bill Art Show & Saleis an annual invitational show for contemporary Western artists. The show’s 106 artists represent a wide variety of mediums, from oil and bronze to pastel and scratchboard. A wall sale of miniature artwork also hangs inside the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, from June through September. Small works are available to purchase online. 

Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Cottonwood Creek in Autumn, oil, 20 x 24", by Phil Starke.

Beginning in mid-August, the 42nd Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale gallery of works will open in anticipation of the live auction event on Friday, September 22. Travel to Cody or register to bid by phone. New artists to the show this year include Cowboy Artists of America members Mikel Donahue and Phil Epp, who make a total of nine active or emeritus CAs in this year’s show. Patrons are sure to enjoy a Lunch & Lecture event on September 21 featuring a panel discussion with these CAs. Buffalo Bill Art Show proceeds benefit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce and local art organizations.

Gallery Wild, Big Fox, oil on canvas, 60 x 48", by Aaron Hazel.

 Located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming—and, as of this summer, a second location in Santa Fe, New Mexico—Gallery Wild showcases contemporary fine art inspired by wildlife and wild places. Owned and operated by Jackson Hole-based wildlife painter Carrie Wild and her husband, wildlife photographer Jason Williams, Gallery Wild’s works and philosophy are inspired by thousands of hours in the field observing, studying and falling in love with all things wild. From the smallest bird to the biggest moose, Gallery Wild artists produce work inspired by actual subjects, roaming the wild and making lives richer. The gallery’s mission is to inspire collectors and impassion others to help protect wildlife and wild places for generations

Gallery Wild, Home School, oil on linen, 48 x 48", by Patricia A. Griffin.

Gallery Wild also features a working artist studio where Wild and visiting gallery artists showcase their techniques and share their processes with visitors. Artists new to the gallery this summer are Amanda Markel, Christy Stallop, Jeffie Brewer, Josh Brown and Michael Kessler. Upcoming shows in Jackson Hole, all with an artist reception the opening day, include Doyle Hostetler’s solo show Whispers of Wild, hanging from July 7 to 17. Caleb Meyer and Ron Russon’s two-artist show, titled Chromatic, will hang from July 21 to 31. August will welcome shows featuring Nealy Riley, George Hill and Larry Moore. September’s Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival will bring a flurry of events to Jackson including a joint exhibition featuring gallery owners Wild and Williams, and a show with painter-sculptor duo Jeremy Bradshaw and Patricia A. Griffin. Visit the gallery’s website for a full summer schedule.

Connor Liljestrom, NIGHTSHIFT, oil, oil stick and oil pastel on canvas, 51 x 38"

 Connor Liljestrom, DAYSHIFT, oil, oil stick and oil pastel on canvas, 62 x 38"Connor Liljestrom, Thousand 139, oil, oil stick and oil pastel on collaged paper, 35½ x 22½"

National Museum of Wildlife Art, Lake O’Hara, ca. 1935, oil on canvas, 40 x 50", by Carl Rungius (1869-1959). JKM Collection, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Estate of Carl Rungius.

Built into a hillside overlooking the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the museum received the designation National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States by order of Congress in 2008. Boasting a museum shop, interactive children’s gallery, Palate restaurant and outdoor Sculpture Trail, the museum is only two-and-a-half miles north of the Town Square and two miles from the gateway of Grand Teton National Park.

Den Schofield, High Country (detail), oil on canvas, 30 x 40"

Den Schofield, The Texian (detail), oil on canvas, 24 x 30"

Schofield reflects on the fact that many Western artists eventually made their way to the genre by way of illustration, and he is certainly one of them. Having done work for a variety of major companies, including numerous publishing companies, Schofield made the leap into Western art and never looked back. Within his artwork, he continuously strives to capture the history of the West through accurate portrayals of his cowboy subjects. —