Face Up

Collectorʼs Focus: Faces of the West

In the mid-1920s, painter Ernest L. Blumenschein painted a single model in three separate paintings. One of the paintings is Woman in Blue,showing a half-length frontal portrait of his subject against the interior of a teepee. The woman, striking and poised, created quite a stir with the public when the three paintings went on tour around the United States from 1927 to 1931. The model has never been identified.

Gordon Snidow (1936-2026), A Remnant of Another Time, oil on board, 48 x 36 in.

Although she is nameless, she is not anonymous in the painting. Images like this have a way of reaching out through the surface of the canvas, as if to meet the viewer in their time and space. Woman in Blue not only reaches out, but also connects to a deeper place within the viewer. It reminds us of the humanity of the subject, who is not a collection of brushstrokes but a real person.

Ernest L. Blumenschein (1874-1960), Woman in Blue, oil on canvas, 27 ¼ x 24 ¼ in.

Portraiture—or more broadly, figurative art—has held a power within Western art for as long as Western art has existed. George Catlin and Karl Bodmer painted some of the first portraits of the West in their journeys into the frontier, and today those images not only historically document first-hand accounts of Native American people but also individual people, their faces and the ways in which they carried themselves. Bodmer and Catlin painted Native Americans, but others would come after to paint unique subjects: James Bama’s blue-collar workers and mountain men; Morgan Weistling’s miners, gamblers and stagecoach drivers; Gordon Snidow’s beer-drinking cowboys; Carrie Ballantyne’s ranchers; and even Richard Avedon, the famed photographer, who turned his lens on many Western subjects.

Richard Avedon (1923-2004), Clyde Corley, Rancher, Belgrade, Montana, 1979, photograph. Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

It’s been said before that there are no uninteresting faces in the American West. The paintings and bronzes that fill Western art would certainly agree.

Deborah Whitt has been an artist for more than 30 years, continuously inspired by the beauty of people and styles of bygone eras. Specializing in oil and charcoal, she paints the human form, pushing the boundaries of light and shadow. Her paintings also tend to be nocturnal and darkly illustrated, often set in the early American West or old-fashioned scenes. “I am a lover of things old, classic and traditional,” she says. “Music, art and old hand-me-down gadgets. They just don’t make things the way they used to. I remember this phrase often growing up, [and] I’ve carried those feelings of my childhood into my adult life. My photos are dark and warm and inviting. I create narrative portraits, using dramatic light and shadow. I hope my portraits spark memories in the viewer.”

Manitou Galleries, Sitting Bull, oil, 56 x 44 in., by Greg Overton. Manitou Galleries, Medicine Cloud/Lakota, acrylic, 36 x 36 in., by Nocona Burgess.

Nocona Burgess, Greg Overton and David Frederick Riley are each represented by Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Burgess creates bold, contemporary portraits of Indigenous men and women that explore identity, culture and the evolving Native American experience. A member of the Comanche Nation and a descendant of the legendary Chief Quanah Parker, Burgess combines meticulous research, personal heritage and vibrant color to reimagine traditional Native portraiture through a modern lens. Using richly pigmented colors against dark backgrounds, Burgess employs a technique he calls “painting outward,” creating striking contrasts and depth. His work reflects both a deep respect for Native traditions and a commitment to portraying the modern Indigenous identity. His award-winning paintings have been exhibited internationally and are included in major museum collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe.

Deborah Whitt, Desert Breeze, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in. Deborah Whitt, The Old Firestarter, oil on linen, 30 x 24 in.

Overton is known for his powerful oil portraits of Native Americans, works that capture the spirit, strength and humanity of his subjects. Inspired by a lifelong fascination with the American West, Overton combines masterful realism with emotional depth, creating paintings that resonate with collectors far beyond the Western art world. Through both his art and his mentorship of emerging artists, Overton continues to inspire appreciation for the people, stories and enduring legacy of the American West.

Riley is a gallery artist, portrait painter and illustrator. His painting is inspired by the universal narratives of the human condition and emotion. He works primarily in oil, contrasting contemporary color fields and abstract space with traditional handling of the human form. He uses color harmonies to showcase emotion and the vibrancy of life. His work frequently illustrates themes of emotional and spiritual growth. His portraits balance expression and realism, showcasing the quintessential aspects of personality and likeness. He enjoys the collaborative process of portrait painting and bringing his client’s visions into reality.

Top: Deborah Whitt, Rest Cowboy, oil on wood panel, 24 x 36 in. Madaras Gallery, Leaving the Barn, acrylic, by Diana Madaras. Bottom: Madaras Gallery, Maiden at the Falls, acrylic, by Diana Madaras. Manitou Galleries, Sitting Bear Arikara, oil, 48 x 60 in., by David Frederick Riley.

For many years, Diana Madaras of Madaras Gallery has captured the spirit of the American West through vibrant color, expressive brushwork, and personal storytelling. Her paintings depict the landscapes, people, and traditions that continue to define Western life. Each year, Madaras returns to White Stallion Ranch outside Tucson, Arizona, where generations have preserved the authentic West. There, she finds inspiration as she rides across open desert, takes in evening campfires, and revels in the quiet beauty of life lived close to the land.

“The romance of the authentic West lives on,” says Madaras, “not just in history books or old films. I find restoration, peace and inspiration on my annual treks to White Stallion Ranch.”

For artist Kyril Bruce DeFoor, the American West is more than a geographical place—it is a landscape of memory. A child of 1950s New Mexico, DeFoor grew up immersed in a world of television cowboys, comic book heroes and colorful toy figures that fueled the imaginations of an entire generation. That influence is evident in paintings like The Missing Pony, The Idealist and Make My Day. Rather than depicting historical cowboys, these paintings explore the West as it exists in memory. Their subjects are inspired by the molded faces of 1950s toy cowboys, transformed into contemporary symbols of hope, courage, independence and optimism.

Top: Kyril Bruce DeFoor, The Missing Pony, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in. Kyril Bruce DeFoor, Make My Day, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in. Bottom: Michael Meyer, Dakota War Chief, oil on canvas, 18 x 14 in. Michael Meyer, Barnet, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

The paintings are more than portraits of cowboys. They are reflections of the values and aspirations the cowboy has come to represent in American culture. Through bold color, simplified forms, and an unmistakable sense of familiarity, DeFoor invites viewers to revisit the frontier myths that shaped childhood dreams and helped define a generation’s understanding of character, adventure and possibility.

New Mexico-based artist Michael Meyer, represented by Legends of the West Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, has been drawing figures and portraits of anyone willing to pose since elementary school. His specific interest in drawing and painting people was partly fueled by the artistic challenge of achieving a realistic likeness. Inspired by faces with intriguing characters that tell a story, he tends to break the rules of traditional portrait painting, with many of his paintings running as large as 36 by 48 inches. While living in Chicago, Meyer refined his skills by painting live models under the tutelage of well-known portrait artist Richard Halstead. Since relocating to New Mexico 16 years ago and pursuing plein air painting, Meyer has been able to achieve his long-term objective of painting Western landscapes that include subjects like Native Americans and fur trappers of the 1800s. “Good artists never stop striving to improve their knowledge and skills,” he says.

Kyril Bruce DeFoor, The Idealist, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in. Patricia Ridge Bradley, Not Yet!, oil on canvas panel, 14 x 11 in.

“Growing up in Northwest Oklahoma, I was a ‘city girl’ in a small, rural town surrounded by massive wheat and cattle ranches,” says artist Patricia Ridge Bradley. “The plains are expansive and flat, with trees that bend to the north, big skies and spectacular sunsets. The western half of Oklahoma is known for its red dirt and high winds. The cycle of planting and harvesting crops begins with enormous tractors in the fall, and ends with crews of harvesters that descend upon the town in the summer. At one time, our town boasted the largest grain elevators in the world. In the 1800s, herds with as many as 10,000 cattle were driven over the Chisholm Trail from Texas to Kansas. The cattle drive stopped in cow towns for rest and water along the way, Enid being one of them. Ranch life was, and still is, a way of life in Oklahoma.”

Each of these artists, in their own ways, continue to tell the stories of the diverse individuals who call the West home. —