Risk Taker

Altamira Fine Art presents new works by abstract Western artist Rocky Hawkins.

By Alyssa M. Tidwell

As a young boy, Rocky Hawkins would dress up in cowboy outfits and imitate the characters he saw in 1950s TV shows about the Old West. That fascination with Western history endured throughout Hawkins’ life, and for the past 23 years the artist has worked on his Montana ranch creating expressive, abstract imagery of the West.

An exhibition of new works by Hawkins titled Into The West: Then & Nowwill be on view at Altamira Fine Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, from June 17 to July 1.

Goin’ to Sweetwater, acrylic on panel, 14 x 11 in.

“This latest series was inspired by a Spaghetti Western made in 1968 called Once Upon a Time in the West,” says Hawkins. The film, in which Clint Eastwood was originally offered the role of the protagonist, features a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who teams up with a fugitive in order to protect a widow from an assassin. “While attending Burnley School of Art in 1971, late one night while working on an art assignment with the TV on, I was taken by the unique visuals, music and ambiance of this movie,” Hawkins continues. “I had never seen it before, and to my surprise, I was deeply captivated with its offbeat approach. One example was the opening scene between a character (Harmonica) that had just arrived from the train at the station only to find three suspicious men wearing dusters waiting for him. The suspense tightens as the story goes on with a short threatening conversation. I still to this day consider it my number one favorite Western movie and continue to enjoy watching it like it was the very first time.”

High Noon Shootout, acrylic on panel, 30 x 24 in.

In a genre rooted in traditional values, Hawkins isn’t afraid to take risks. His artwork is filled to the brim with bold color and even bolder brushwork. He describes his work as falling into three categories of abstraction: art informal, lyrical abstraction and expressionism. “To achieve color and texture, I embrace the so-called accident during the painting process, including automatism,” he says. “Hidden beneath the finished painting are layers of conceptions, struggle and paint that were applied during the creative process, finally revealing the textures apparent in the finished piece.”