At the opening night sale and awards dinner on Saturday, September 9, the Bosque Art Classicwill unveil more than 200 pieces of Western art for its 38th annual exhibition and sale.
Cowboy Artist of America member Bruce Greene, right, advisor to the BAC Art Council, with his wife Janie, second from left, and juried artists Sarah Harless and Travis Stewart.
Established in 1986, the show is open to all artists creating representational Western art. This year 125 artists, selected from 700-plus entries, are participating in the event. Oil and acrylic are the predominant mediums, but water media, sculpture, pastels and drawing will also be represented, with more sculpture this year than in the past.
“We have some wonderful Western art in the sale, and some artists that have entered year after year and still bring wonderful work,” says longtime BAC Art Council member Joyce Jones. “If you like horses and bluebonnets and Western subject matter, you’ll like this show.”
Art Council president Virginia Richards adds, “This is Texas, so many of the subjects reflect ranch life, landscapes, wildlife, portraits from everyday life and the beauty of life itself revealed in art.”
Patrick Saunders, Icon, oil on linen, 30 x 30”
This year Art Classic veterans Carla D’aguanno, Steve Atkinson, Matt Atkinson and Linda Lucas Hardy are joined by recent award winners Patrick Saunders, Linda Becker and Steven Lang. Steve Dunn heads up a roster of talented sculptors in the show, among them Jammey Huggins and newcomer Ronnie Zint. Watercolor artist Richie Vios is another new artist in this year’s line-up.
Seth Hopkins, executive director of the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, serves as juror of awards for this year’s event and will select the winners in each medium. The Art Council then chooses the Art Patrons Purchase Award from those winners. Finally, the John Steven Jones Purchase Award is selected by the Jones family, who sponsor the award in memory of their son. Both the Jones and Art Patrons awards become part of the Bosque Center’s permanent collection.
“I’m looking for something that just grabs my attention to receive the Jones Award,” says Joyce, a co-sponsor of the award. “I never look for anything in particular as far as subject matter goes. I’m just waiting for the painting or sculpture to speak to me—the same way I decide to purchase art.
Carla D’aguanno, Dolls & Flowers, oil, 30 x 30”
Recently, 16 years after winning the Jones Award in 2007, Steve Atkinson told Joyce it gave him the incentive to leave Minnesota with his wife and relocate to Prescott, Arizona, where he could devote himself fully to his art “in the very heart of the subject matter that fills my soul,” he writes on his website.
“We started the John Steven Jones Award as a way to build the permanent collection,” Joyce shares. “I didn’t realize that it would change lives.”
“This is our 38th year of sharing art from all over the United States,” says Richardson. “Our judge ensures quality and we strive to be great hosts. The crowd is large, the awards are anticipated with excitement, the wine flows and the meal is very nice. The artists enjoy it as much as the collectors. It’s the perfect recipe for a good art show that everyone should enjoy.” —
Bosque Art Classic
September 9-23, 2023
Bosque Arts Center
215 S. College Hill Drive Clifton, TX 76634
(254) 675-3724
www.bosqueartscenter.org
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