Show Preview | Cowboy Artists of America Exhibition & Sale

Among the best of traditional Western subject matter will be on display during the 57th annual Cowboy Artists of America Exhibition & Sale. The event, presented by the Joe Beeler Foundation in partnership with the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, takes place November 3 and 4 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center where more than 100 works of art by members of the esteemed artist group will be available to purchase. The sale begins at 5 p.m. on November 3.

The life of the working cowboy is exemplified in the artwork with cowboy portraits, ranching scenes, horses and more. Many artists also portray the lives and history of Indigenous people. These include depictions from today as well as images from the Old West. Every work is meticulously created, showing the passion and technical abilities of each artist. Some of the members include Martin Grelle, Bruce Greene, Brandon Bailey, Teal Blake, Wayne Baize, Grant Redden, Phil Epp, Chad Poppleton and Jack Sorenson.

Greene plans to exhibit eight works in the show, including both his sculptures and oil paintings. His work THE BELL ON OLD BLUE is a stunning bronze relief that is 13 inches deep and depicts the story of Charles Goodnight’s steer, Blue, who wore a bell on his neck as he led other cattle up north to a railway. “The bell itself is actually in the Cattle Raisers Museum in Fort Worth, Texas,” says the artist, who has seen the bell at the museum and knew the story as well. He adds, “My great friend Red Steagall wrote a poem called ‘The Bell on Old Blue’, which ended up ultimately being the inspiration behind the piece.”

An artist with a more contemporary style is Epp, whose vibrant colors and abstracted clouds provide a fresh interpretation of classic imagery. He will have roughly six paintings in the show that measure at least 40 inches in height, with many focusing on horses. BLACK SUNDAY, with horses running away from the approaching dust clouds, derives from his “lifelong interest in the visual aspects of the Dust Bowl since hearing my parents talk about it when I was a youngster,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to put an image on canvas and this is the first painting of that subject. The 1930s Black Sunday started out as a beautiful day but in the afternoon a wall of dust descended on the Plains. This painting is an attempt to portray what that event might have felt and looked like to residents of the area.”

Several other paintings by Epp, including RESTING HORSES, FOLDING THE FLY and ONE-EYED SARATOGA, were inspired by the Cowboy Artists of America’s annual trail ride. This year the group went to the Bell Ranch in northeast New Mexico, and several scenes, people and horses became the subjects of Epp’s works.

One of Bailey’s works in the exhibition is the charcoal drawing LAKOTA, which was an exploration of portraying different textures in the medium. He says, “Depicting the variations of beadwork, plumage, fabric and the chief’s face was a rewarding challenge.”

Along with this work, Bailey plans to display several major paintings “that depict the complexities of 1800s Native American life.” He continues, “My largest piece, 44 by 68 inches, will depict a facet of the Battle of the Little Bighorn which showcases the Native warriors fighting the U.S. Calvary in the Little Bighorn River. Fellow CA artist Teal Blake and I were fortunate enough to visit and partake in a traditional Crow Sweat Ceremony this past spring at the Little Bighorn River. The inspiration from this trip is what I used when deciding on doing this painting.”

A complete schedule of events and information on how to purchase tickets is available on the Cowboy Artists of America website. —Rochelle Belsito

contact informationcowboyartistsofamerica.com

This story appeared in the October/November 2023 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.

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