Although just two letters long, the CA insignia—which functions as a logo, a signature and a cattle brand for the Cowboy Artists of America—inspires reverence from those who have earned the right to use it. Those letters also stand for history, tradition and brotherhood for its members.
C. Michael Dudash, Watcher of the Canyon, oil on linen, 38 x 38”The CA members will once again get to ride for that brand on November 3 and 4 in Fort Worth, Texas, where the group will host its annual Cowboy Artists of America’s Exhibition & Sale. “It’s looking great, that’s for sure,” says Wayne Baize, the CA’s outgoing president. “It’s always fun to get the guys together and show some art. This year we made sure to bring in some of our emeritus members and many of them have agreed to send work, including Fred Fellows, T.D. Kelsey, Harold Holden and even Harley Brown. The work is going to be impressive.”
Phil Epp, Fence Builder, acrylic on board, 40 x 40”
Besides Baize, full active members of the CA are Brandon Bailey, Teal Blake, Tyler Crow, Mikel Donahue, C. Michael Dudash, Phil Epp, Bruce Greene, Martin Grelle, Bill Nebeker, Dustin Payne, Clark Kelley Price, Chad Poppleton, Grant Redden and Jack Sorenson. There is also the possibility that new members will be announced at this year’s show, which is timed with a CA business meeting, during which new members are discussed and voted in. Two special invited guests will be included in this year’s sale: Howard Post and William Matthews.
This year’s show, as with other recent exhibitions, will be in collaboration with the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. “There’s not a U.S. city where the affinity for Western art is stronger than right here in Fort Worth,” said Stock Show president Brad Barnes. “We’re proud of the growth of the CAA’s exhibition and sale and look forward to another successful event.”
Clark Kelley Price, The Man From Lost River, oil, 24 x 36”
Grant Redden, Nocturne, oil, 20 x 16”
Several individual events are changing for this year’s show. For instance, the artist award dinner will be held on Thursday, November 2, instead of during the weekend’s activities. The CA is also trying to organize several demonstrations and education opportunities. The main sale, though, is largely unchanged. It will take place starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 4. All of the works will be sold in a fixed-price, by-draw sale. A preview and reception will be held the night before, on Friday, November 3.
Brandon Bailey, An Envious Moon, oil, 40 x 40”
Artwork in this year’s sale includes Poppleton’s large horse painting, Grand Theft Auto, showing three Native American riders chasing after a herd of horses. Dudash will also be showing works that emphasize Native Americans within the Old West. One of his larger pieces is The Warm Reflections of an Autumn Camp. The central feature of the painting, besides a trio of figures on horseback, is a small body of water that reflects golden light from the sky. Another piece Dudash will be presenting is Watcher of the Canyon, showing a single rider looking down into a deep canyon. He’s keeping a careful eye on a column of riders stretching across the canyon floor.
Teal Blake, The Fortunate Ones, oil, 36 x 60”
Bailey will be bringing a mixture of work, including An Envious Moon, a nocturne in oil with a brilliant lightning bolt piercing through nighttime clouds, and also a drawing on paper, Lakota, showing a figure in a large headdress.
Cowboy subject matter is always popular in the Cowboy Artists of America, and several works will speak to that, including a trio of paintings by Teal Blake: Mr. Bigtime, showing a colorful rooster on a riding saddle; From Bad to Worse, a dramatic image of a horse and rider leaping into a bull, with a painless outcome unlikely; and The Fortunate Ones, showing a rider and two horses crossing through a glimmering body of water. Baize will be showing several strong Western pieces, including Topping out of Madera Canyon, an oil inspired by the Davis Mountains in Texas.
Chad Poppleton, Grand Theft Auto, oil, 30 x 48”
Other cowboy pieces include Redden’s Nocturne, Payne’s bronze piece Secrets of the Mesa, and Sorenson’s Local Bar Association, which shows an empty law library and a crowded saloon on a rainy night.
One of the most contemporary artists presently in the CA is Epp, whose work will reflect his unique perspective on the West. He will be showing a stunning selection of paintings: Black Sunday, showing a purple dust cloud devouring a trio of horses on the prairie; Fence Builder, an image of a lone figure clad in overalls with a post-hole digger; Stockpens in Moonlight, a train scene; Folding the Fly, showing eight figures folding a piece of canvas; and After Breakfast, which was inspired by the 2023 CA trail ride at the Bell Ranch in New Mexico.
A number of the artists will be using the Bell Ranch for inspiration in this year’s work, which is what the trail rides are partially all about: getting reference material for artwork that can appear at that fall’s exhibition.
Jack Sorenson, Local Bar Association, oil, 30 x 42”
Wayne Baize, Topping Out of Madera Canyon, oil, 18 x 24”
In addition to the exhibition and sale, this year’s show will also offer educational programming with more than 400 local Fort Worth students that will culminate in a youth art sale on Friday, November 3. Not only will the students get to view the exhibition and ask questions from the artists, but they will also receive instruction from the CA members in a private event.
Mikel Donahue, Raggedy Ann, acrylic, 14 x 18½”
“It is exciting to highlight the talent of the next generation of artists to a new audience who may not have been exposed to the art contest in the past,” says Jordan Simons, art contest coordinator. “Elevating their amazing works before a very sophisticated group of Western art buyers could lead to some exciting results for their careers.”
Dustin Payne, Secrets of the Mesa, clay for bronze, ed. of 20, 25 x 22 x 11”
For Baize, the group’s president, the CA’s longevity and its long links to education all comes down to authenticity, which is one of the core missions of the group. “We strive in all things to be authentic,” he says. “We don’t do it for the market; we do it because we love and want to build up Western art and this authentic way of life, the way it was then and the way it is now.” —
Cowboy Artists of America’s Exhibition & Sale
November 2-4, 2023; sale, Nov. 4, 5-9 p.m.
Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W. Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76107
www.cowboyartistsofamerica.com
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