Cultured Cowgirl

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans are once again headlining events.

I wasn’t raised during the heyday of the silver-screen cowboy like many of our baby boomer readers. However, my parents and grandparents exposed me to many an evening of watching The Roy Rogers Show, Annie Oakley, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza and Gunsmoke reruns, and old spaghetti Westerns. I can quote Tom Mix, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, James Arness and others with the best Western boomer. I also enjoy hearing stories of my grandfather playing high school sports with Leonard Sly in southern Ohio, before Leonard became the iconic American cowboy hero Roy Rogers.

Even though Roy and Dale Evans weren’t as influential in my decision to live in the West, ride horses and be a cowgirl as they were to my parents and grandparents, I was saddened last fall when I received notice that the Roy Rogers Museum in Branson, Missouri, was closing after 42 years of operation. Steady decline in visitors was one of the factors that led the Rogers family to close the doors on their family heritage.

I never had an opportunity to tour the museum, which made it all the more important that I attend Brian Lebel’s 21st Annual Old West Show & Auction in Denver, Colorado, this past June. The Rogers family consigned 127 items to the auction, including Roy’s personal firearms and hunting gear, and his 1964, bright yellow, Lincoln Continental Convertible.

As a purveyor and promoter of cowboy culture, I feel obligated to immerse myself in Western heritage, and Roy and Dale were a very important part of shaping a generation’s perceptions of the West. Seeing their personal memorabilia confirmed in my mind that Roy and Dale were a classy couple and had impeccable taste in gear.

This wax figure of Roy Rogers, dressed in his personal clothing, sold for $6,000. Roy's 1964 Lincoln convertible sold for $17,000.

The highlight of the auction was watching one of Roy’s holsters and belt rigs, and matching gold-plated Crockett spurs sell for $90,000 and $16,000, respectively. The lavishly tooled, gold-trimmed Buscadero gun rig was made by Nudie’s of North Hollywood for Roy in 1948 and came with two Colt single action revolvers. The gold-plated spurs were Crockett’s popular Pattern 1368 and had 2.5-inch, 20-point gold rowels and Nudie spur straps made to match the holsters and gun belt.

Three weeks after Lebel’s auction, High Noon Western Americana partnered with Christie’s to auction off the remaining museum memorabilia in New York City. An emotional, history-making event, the auction placed Roy’s silver parade saddles, sports memorabilia, costumes, furniture, vehicles and the most famous movie horse, Trigger.

Roy bought Trigger in 1938, and the golden palomino was his partner until the horse died in 1965. I’m sure by now you’ve heard that the stuffed, rearing mount sold for $266,500 to RFD-TV. Another high-selling item was the silver-dollar encrusted and longhorn-adorned Bonneville convertible that Roy and Dale used in special appearances, which brought $254,500.

I doubt the television and film industries will ever see another iconic cowboy couple like Roy and Dale, which is unfortunate for members of Generation X like me and those generations that follow mine. However, I’m someone who looks for the silver lining in every story. Although the closing of the museum and the auctioning of its contents were emotional to the Rogers family and fans, I don’t see the events as the end of the trail, but rather a new trail that will allow collectors and other museums to display the items and share the silver-screen stars’ legacy for those of us who didn’t grow up with our own cowboy and cowgirl heros.

In the words of Roy and Dale, “Happy trails to you, until we meet again.”

~Jennifer

The Silver State Stampede is the oldest rodeo in Nevada.

“So, what brings you to Salt Lake City,” the airport shuttle driver asked me while muscling my many bags and camera cases into the vehicle.

“Actually, I’m headed to Nevada for a weekend getaway,” I replied.

“Vegas and Reno both have airports. Why in the world would you fly here?” he wondered.

This is an all too familiar conversation I have with shuttle drivers each time I go to Nevada. It’s a logical assumption that I’m traveling to Vegas and Reno, as most Nevada-bound vacationers make those cities their destinations. But this cowgirl is not like most. The sagebrush-dotted high desert of northern Nevada calls my name.

When I told the shuttle driver I was headed to Elko, he furrowed his brows and said, “Why?”

I could tell he just didn’t get it and this conversation would go nowhere, so I replied, “Oh, just to attend a little rodeo,” and left it at that.

That little rodeo was the Silver State Stampede, held July 8-10, at the Elko County Fairgrounds. The oldest rodeo in Nevada, the Silver State Stampede was started by legendary bit and spur maker G.S. Garcia in 1913. The gear maker’s legacy continues at the rodeo, with winners of each event receiving a pair of ornate Garcia spurs.

I’d heard buzz about this rodeo for years, so I decided to pack my bags and take a little trip to see what it was all about. The event offered all the slice-of-life charm I appreciate from a small-town rodeo, and surprisingly attracted some of the top competitors in the PRCA. But the rodeo’s wild, Old West ways made it a real cowboy’s rodeo in my mind.

Since 2003, the Silver State Stampede has differentiated itself from other PRCA-sanctioned rodeos by adding ranch bronc riding to its lineup of events. The contest brings 20 working cowboys and buckaroos, mostly from Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, off the their remote ranches and into town to vie for a stash of cash and prizes. It also draws huge local crowds who know and respect these hands, and come primarily to see them compete. Unlike PRCA saddle-bronc riders, Old West bronc riders use their everyday working saddles and can hold on to a rope or nightlatch. That doesn’t give them much advantage though against stock contractor Wally Blossom’s rank, reservation-raised broncs.

Eli Burr won the ranch bronc riding. "I ride each bronc as an individual," he says. "I ususally don't remember one from the other."

This year, the Western States Ranch Rodeo Association (wsrra.org) sanctioned the Old West Bronc Riding. The WSRRA will hold its inaugural championship event this November in Winnemucca, Nevada. Cowboys have competed all year, trying to earn points to qualify for the finals, which I’m told is going to be a great event.

Western Horseman sponsored the bronze trophy at the Silver State Stampede for the Old West Bronc Riding, which is appropriately a cast of Frederic Remington’s sculpture Bronco Buster. The trophy will remain on permanent display at an undetermined venue in Elko, and each year the winner of the bronc riding will have his or her name added to it.

I proudly presented the trophy to this year’s winner, Eli Burr, a buckaroo on the Y-3 near Jackpot, Nevada. Burr, who also won the contest in 2003, scored 73 points in the first round and an 82 in the championship round. He took home a pair of Garcia spurs donated by J.M. Capriola Co., a trophy buckle from Skyline Silversmiths and more than $1,000. Pretty good money to supplement cowboy wages.

A friend described Burr to me as a “bedroll” cowboy, and it fits him to a tee. Raised in Victor, Idaho, he set out to buckaroo right out of high school, working on outfits in Nevada, Oregon and Utah. Moving from ranch to ranch was a way of life for many years, but now the 27-year-old cowboy says he’s reaching a point in his life where he’d like to stay put for a while. However, he added, he still likes to see different places.

“When I started out all I had was a single-cab pickup and a bedroll, so it was easy to pack up and go to the next place,” he says. “Now I have a crew-cab pickup, stock trailer and five horses, which makes it more of a hassle to move.”

I had the honor of presenting Eli Burr with a bronze sponsored by Western Horseman. The trophy will remain in Elko, and Burr's name will be added among the other bronc-riding winners.

His entire life, Burr aspired to be a working cowboy and bronc rider. He competed in saddle bronc riding in high school, but had limited success. Once he discovered ranch bronc riding, though, where he could ride in his ranch saddle, he was hooked. It’s hard for a working cowboy to leave his duties on the ranch, but Burr tries to hit as many ranch bronc riding competitions as he can. The contests have become popular in Idaho, Oregon, California and Nevada, so there are plenty of opportunities for ranch cowboys to meet for some friendly competition, showcase their skills and win some extra gear and money.

Besides the Old West Bronc Riding, the Silver State Stampede also has a team-branding competition, mutton busting for the kids, a trade show, and a live band and dance each night. At the conclusion of each round, the “Ring of Fear”  is held. Those brave (or crazy!) enough to enter, go into a pen where a bull is turned loose. Each contestant stands inside a flour circle and “battles” the bull till there’s only one person left standing in his or her circle. I’d never seen anything like this and was standing on my chair to rise above the crowd to see it. What a way to end an already action-packed rodeo!

The Silver State Stampede exceeded my expectations, and was a good reminder that in this age of pyrotechnics and stage-show rodeos, there’s still a bit of the real West left. I just have to go to Elko to find it.

~Jennifer

R.W. Hampton

Cowboys are a patriotic set. Attend any rodeo or horse event, and there’s always a grand entry with flags flying and time set aside to recognize the different branches of the military and to pay tribute to the United States with the national anthem. You see flags on trucks and trailers, shirts, chaps and saddle blankets. Strands of red, white and blue are woven into everything from fringe and hatbands to horses’ tails. As I celebrated Independence Day this weekend, I took a moment to think about what makes cowboys so loyal to their country, and I asked the cowboys in my life for their opinions.

The obvious conclusion is that the cowboy icon originated in America, although his gear and methods come from a melting pot of horse cultures. His presence and influence, thus that of America, is sought worldwide.

Many of our country’s cowgirls and cowboys, including my own father, at one point in their lives have had to hang up their spurs, leave their home ranges and go to foreign lands to defend our country and its freedoms in combat. It’s those who were able to return and ride again, as well as those who left empty saddles behind, that we owe gratitude on this day and every day.

I also believe that cowboys feel freedom on a deeper level than most people. Few jobs allow a man (or woman) to work solo in wide-open spaces, far from any town or technology, relying only on himself and his horse. He senses the vastness felt by the American Indians and pioneers, the freedom represented by an eagle floating on the wind and a close connection to the the land, animals and the cyclical rights between seasons. There’s a fundamental freedom to his job that captivates most of us who make our livings behind desks.

Just in time for the Four of July, cowboy singer R.W. Hampton of Cimarron, New Mexico, wrote a new song called Note For Sale to honor America and the men and women who have paid the price for our freedom. Best sure to check out his video at this link:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChXt_c0uO…

A member of the brotherhood of working cowboys for many years, Hampton writes songs from experience and sings them from the heart in his smooth baritone voice. This patriotic tune, inspired by the upcoming deployment of his son, U.S. Marine Corps. Sgt. Cooper Hampton, is an appropriate reminder of how lucky we are to have the freedom to live a Western lifestyle, to be able to own and ride horses, and to choose to be a rancher, cowboy, horseman or in my case, a writer of Western ways.

The Western Horseman staff sends its best wishes to the Hampton family and our thanks to Sgt. Hampton for his service to our country. May he make a safe return back home soon.

~Jennifer

If the Western art scene has a prestigious, red-carpet event, it’s definitely the Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, hosted by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Held each June, the art show features two- and three-dimensional artwork by the top contemporary Western artists, as well as educational seminars, receptions and an awards banquet.

Sunrise in the Golden Gate; Downeaster "Benjamin F. Packard, 24-by-38-inch oil by Christopher Blossom. Winner of the Prix de West Purchase Award.

Labyrinth of Space, 42-by-42-inch oil by George Carlson. Winner of the Frederic Remington Painting Award and Robert Lougheed Memorial Award, chosen by exhibiting artists.

I attended Prix de West for the first time in 2006. It as the first major Western art show I had ever attended, and it continues to be the standard to which I measure any art exhibition. This past weekend, I traveled to Oklahoma City for the show’s sold-out opening events, which featured more than 300 pieces of artwork by 110 Western artists, seven of which were first-time exhibitors. As in years past, I left with a greater appreciation for Western art and the artists whose intense passion for Western life, heritage, landscape and wildlife is infused into each piece they create.

This year’s Prix de West kicked off June 11 with a reception in which ticket holders could meet the artists, preview the artwork and mingle in the cultural splendor of the cowboy museum. As I entered the gallery in which most of the artwork is displayed, I was greeted by a breathtaking oil painting by Greg Beecham titled The Chase. Displayed in an elegant silver frame, the painting depicted four wolves running through the snow. The artist’s use of light, action and different shades of white created a stunning piece. Later in the weekend, this painting won the Major General and Mrs. Don D. Pittman Wildlife Art Award, a $3,000 cash award for artistic merit for a wildlife painting or sculpture. The painting also garnered the Nona Jean Hulsey Rumsey Buyers’ Choice Award, a $3,000 cash award for the most popular piece of artwork as voted by show patrons.

Clash of Thunder, 32-by-38-by 9.5-inch bronze by Tim Shinabarger. Winner of the James Earele Fraser Sculpture Award.

The Chase, 26-by-40-inch oil by Greg Beecham. Winner of the Major General and Mrs. Don D. Pittman Wildlife Award and the Nona Jean Hulsey Rumsey Buyers' Choice Award.

As beautiful as the wildlife and landscape paintings are, I was there to see the horse and cowboy art. I count on a long list of longtime Prix de West artists to give me my fix of cowboy art, including Bill Anton, Carrie Ballantyne, Tom Browning, Keith Christie, Tim Cox, Bruce Greene, Harold Holden, Wayne Justus, Mehl Lawson, Herb Mignery, Bill Owen, Jason Rich and Robert “Shufly” Shufelt. Each one of these artists once again showed realistic portrayals of the subject matter Western Horseman readers and myself enjoy. I was also thrilled to see that two of my favorite cowboy artists, Steve Devenyn of Cody, Wyoming, and Mikel Donahue of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, were invited to exhibit in the show this year.

Working the Remuda, 48-by-36-inch oil by Howard Post. Winner of the Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Award.

Arizona artist Howard Post’s painting Working the Remuda, received the only award dedicated exclusively to cowboy art, The Great American Cowboy Award, sponsored by Robert A. Fun, owner of Express Ranches.

Martin Grelle, who’s best known for his portrayal of Native American culture, had a painting of a Texas cowboy this year. In the June issue of Western Horseman I wrote a profile on Grelle and how he’s returning to his roots in cowboy art. Still, his Native American works dominated in sales. His painting Apsaalooke Foot Soldiers, based on an excerpt in Frank B. Linderman’s book Plenty-Coups, Chief of the Crows, sold for $151,800 in the minimum-bid auction, more than $60,000 over the minimum bidding price.

Chuck Schroeder, president of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, reports that the weekend’s sales totaled $3,294, 440, which included sales from the exhibition, minimum-bid auction and live auction. Schroeder also notes that approximately 80 percent of works on offer were sold during the opening weekend.

All Prix de West artwork will remain on display and for sale at the museum through September 6. You can view the artwork in an online catalog at nationalcowboymuseum.org/catalog. Watch for more posts on my blog this week from my experience at Prix de West.

Traveling throughout the West to ranches, artists’ studios and craftsmen’s shops, I’m constantly reminded of the generosity of those who live the Western lifestyle. Kind folks invite me into their homes and daily lives, share home-cooked meals and wonderful stories, and sometimes present me with pieces of their handiwork. Even though I arrive as a stranger, I most often leave as a lifelong friend.

Last Saturday I’d just arrived at the Reno Events Center in Nevada for the Californios Ranch Roping & Stock Horse Contest. In true journalistic fashion, I grabbed my notepad, tape recorder and camera, and went right to work. My first goal was to photograph the three custom championship saddles on display in the trade show. While focusing my lens intently on the saddles, I felt someone tap my shoulder. It was Karen Ross, also known as Prairie Karen (prairiekaren.com), who just wanted to say a passing hello. Knowing I’d see Karen later and want to shop in her trade-show booth, I quickly acknowledged her with a wave and started back to work.

Before I could pick up my camera again, the silver-haired man with Karen, whom I didn’t know, handed me a brass bell and closed my fingers around it. The random gift, presented by the stranger, took me by surprise. The polite thing to do would’ve been to say, “Thank you,” but the only words I could muster were, “What is this for?”

The man said it was for luck and to scare away gremlins that get in my way, and then walked off. I thought it was a nice gesture, tucked the bell in my coat pocket and went back to work without giving much thought to the tiny token and the influence it would have on my day and week in Nevada.

As I scurried around the Silver State, quickly passing from town to town, and in and out of people’s lives, immersing myself–sometimes selfishly–in my assignments, I sometimes heard that little bell jingling in my coat pocket and would smile and remember the man who gave it to me.

I never saw the man again, and I probably never will, but I’ve since learned that he is Matt Davis, a lifelong horseman and a real-estate broker from Wichita Falls, Texas. He and his wife, Catherine, had come to the Californios to learn more about vaquero horsemanship. They’re known for handing out bells wherever they go.
As I’ve traveled this week with my little brass bell, I’m reminded of the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life in which the little girl says, “Each time a bell rings and angel gets its wings.”

Attaboy, Matt.

~Jennifer

Calling all cowboys. The countdown to Valentine’s Day has begun.  If you are looking for a unique Valentine’s Day gift for your cowgirl sweetheart, I suggest ordering a personalized, limited-edition gift set from cowboy crooner R.W. Hampton. It’s a gift she will treasure for many years and can take with her everyday.

The package includes a necklace and matching earrings with a heart on one side and a cowboy and cowgirl on the other side, a personalized copy of Hampton’s CD Always in My Heart, which is full of love-song serenades, and a handful of chocolate truffles to satisfy her sweet tooth. Everything is packaged in a pink heart-shaped tin box.

The price for the complete set is $66.95, plus shipping. But a gift package with just the necklace is also available for $47.95, plus shipping. Quantities are limited, and Hampton will personalize the CD to your loved one. To order, visit on-line www.rwhampton.com, or call (800) 392-0822 or (575) 483-0042.

-Jennifer

Gypsy Soule is paying it forward by auctioning off a saddle and putting the proceeds into a scholarship.

In addition to all of my Western Horseman writing projects last year, I was also given the opportunity to edit our company’s business-to-business publication Western Lifestyle Retailer  www.westernlifestyleretailer.com). The glossy, annual magazine’s funky fashion spreads, product-driven pieces and business features were quite a departure from the ranch, horsemanship and artisan profiles that have become my specialty. Luckily, I had several veteran business-to-business editors and fashion experts to guide me.

Two women I really came to admire were Amy Moorhouse and Lorinda Van Newkirk, owners of the Texas-based apparel, tack and accessory company Gypsy Soule. Both women were raised on ranches and have a love for the Western lifestyle, yet they’re also not afraid to step outside the corral and strut their unique styles. Lorinda grew up on her family’s ranch in California and founded her first company at age 21. The daughter of legendary Texas rancher Bob Moorhouse, Amy was raised on the historic Pitchfork Ranch in Guthrie, Texas, and has had a successful career as a fashion designer and marketer. Together, the women launched Gypsy Soule in 2004.

I’ve never met two women who have so much energy and fun with a business. Through trend-spotting and creative vision, the glamorous gals have added a wild side to Western fashion. However, their goal goes beyond standing out in a crowd. They inspire women to break free from their inhibitions, to be confident and to express themselves with beautiful, bejeweled apparel, footwear and accessories. Even me, who is known to be fairly conservative in my dress code, has invested in zebra-patterned flip-flops with rhinestones, large hoop earrings and bangles, and bedazzled hoodies from the Gypsy Soule collection. I’m constantly wondering what they’ll add to their line next.

Both avid horsewomen, Lorinda and Amy recently designed a line of sparkling Western tack to their Gypsy Cowgirl collection, which was a huge hit at the National Finals Rodeo. In response to the company’s success, Gypsy Soule and Gypsy Cowgirl are auctioning off a one-of-a-kind saddle made by Cowboy Classic Saddlery. All proceeds will go toward a scholarship that will be awarded to one lucky student applicant who has a dream of graduating from college and pursing a career.

The saddle is custom designed with tattoo leatherwork, crystal embellishments and a zebra stingray seat. Beautiful to display or flashy to ride, the saddle is a symbol of hope and creative, cowgirl spirit.

The saddle auction opened on eBay December 1, 2009, and ends January 31, so be sure to log on and bid this week.

For more information, visit gypsysoule.com/catalog/scholarship.php. Also, be sure to check out Gypsy Soule products at gypsysoule.com.

-Jennifer

It isn’t often I leave the comfort of my quiet mountain home for the hustle and bustle of downtown Denver, Colorado. But an exhibit titled The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture was all I needed to make the trek to the big city. I’ll blog about the exciting exhibit itself in a few weeks, when I have a chance to tour it again as part of the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo’s WinterWest series of art events. But now, on Christmas Eve, I’m reminded of Russell’s love of Christmas and how he created personalized greeting cards for his friends.

It was an annual tradition for the 19th-century artist to become reclusive prior to the holiday, as he created original drawings, paintings and small clay sculptures. The artist was fond of spirited subjects, such as jolly cowboys celebrating, galloping to the ranch house or exchanging gifts and toasting the merriment. He often included equally spirited women in the scenes, donning their finest festive garb, and families riding in horse-drawn sleighs. Most of his holiday scenes were wilder than Currier and Ives, but warm and inviting, nevertheless. The friendly scenes were contrasted by a cold, snowy Montana landscape, but they still put you in the holiday spirit.

What made Russell’s cards significant was that he not only created pictures with traditional artistic medias, but also with words. He personalized each card with an original holiday verse of sentiment. Some of his messages were funny, some were about adjusting to the 20th century and some were simply written from the heart. Receiving a card from Russell was prestigious, and some people even brought him gifts just so they could receive one of his coveted cards. Some of his cards are on display at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana.

Pondering the historical value and appeal of Russell’s cards, especially this time of year, I’ve decided to start my own collection of Christmas cards, sent to me by contemporary Western artists I’ve worked with at Western Horseman. Just like Russell, many Western artists are carrying on the tradition of sending cards to friends, family and patrons. As I open each card, I feel fortunate to be among the names on their Christmas-card lists, and I’m reminded of the time I spent with each of them and of the lasting friendships my line of work fosters. One day I’ll frame these cards to share, but until then I hope you enjoy my sampling of this year’s sentiments.

Cowboy Artists of America member Bruce Greene took a Texas take on Santa’s sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. In true Charlie Russell tradition, Greene wrote a holiday poem inside his card.

The drawing on the card from Hamley & Co. in Pendleton, Oregon, is of a cowboy roping Santa. On the inside is a verse that reads: “The Hamley gang Is all a hopin’ That Christmas Day, You’ll be a ropin’ Yourself a lot O’ joy an’ cheer, An’ luck for all The comin’ year.”

Here’s a partial scan of Colorado artist Carrie Fell’s fold-out card featuring her watercolor “Winter Wonder.”

Bill Owen, CA, sent a graphic drawing titled “Affection” on his 2009 limited-edition card.

“Dancing with the Stars,” a dye on silk, graced Montana artist Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey’s card.

Oklahoma artist Harold “H” Holden is best known for his bronze monuments, but the artist shows his painterly style each year on his Christmas card and calendar. Shown here is the card he sent with the aptly named painting “December Morning.”

As I prepare to go home and celebrate a white Colorado Christmas, I’ll leave you with this verse from a Christmas card Russell wrote weeks before his death.

“Here’s hoping the worst end of your trail is behind you / That Dad Time be your friend from here to the end/And sickness nor sorrow don’t find you.”

¬-Jennifer Denison

By the way, here’s the link to the Russell’s exhibit at the Denver Art Museum: http://www.denverartmuseum.org/explore_a…

The C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana, presents Space Silence Spirit: Maynard Dixon’s West, an exhibition of more than 60 privately owned works by Dixon. The exhibit runs through January 25.

One of the most celebrated Western illustrators and artists of the early 20th century, Dixon is best known for his landscapes and murals, but also was a poet. Born in 1875 to a ranching family who lived near Fresno, California, Dixon related to the land and cowboy culture. As a teenager, Dixon was determined to be a professional illustrator and sought the advice of Frederic Remington.

“You draw better at our age than I did at the same age–if you have the ‘Sand’ to overcome difficulties  you could be an artist in time no one’s opinion of what you can do is of any consequence–time and  your character will develop that…” Remington replied.

Dixon began his career as an illustrator for the San Francisco Morning Call.  In the early 1900s, he left the security of a newspaper job to travel throughout the West, collecting reference material in Arizona, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Working in oil, watercolor and pen and ink, Dixon depicted the intimate interactions of people and the land. Settlers, American Indians and cowboys were common subjects. Horses appear in many of his early and latter works.

Dixon lived in San Francisco, California , Utah and New York City before settling in Tucson, Arizona, with his third wife, Edit Hamlin. The couple resided there until his death in 1946.

Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, has the largest collection of Dixon’s work. The Maynard Dixon Museum in Tucson, Arizona, also has an extensive collection of his  artwork and ephemera.

For more information on Space Silence Spirit: Maynard Dixon’s West, phone the C.M. Russell Museum at (406) 727-8787, or visit online cmrussell.org.

"Las Animas Trail," by G. Russell Case

When: January 6-24, 2010

Where: National Western Complex Expo Hall, Third Floor, Denver, Colorado

Highlights: Held in conjunction with the annual National Western Stock Show & Rodeo, the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale is one of the most prestigious Western art exhibitions in the United States and the first major event of the show season. This year’s event features the works of 60 acclaimed artists in the Western genre, including T.D. Kelsey, Mehl Lawson, William Matthews, Howard Post, Karmel Timmons and Barbara Van Cleve. The featured artist is G. Russell Case of Brigham City, Utah, whose work features cowboys in southern Utah settings and is among the pieces in the National Western’s permanent collection. The exhibition kicks off January 5 with an invitation-only Blue Jean Preview. On January 6, the Red Carpet Reception will be held for ticket holders. The exhibit is open to the public January 9-24.

If you’re interested in a two-day immersion in Western art, check out the National Western Stock Show’s WinterWest program, which includes an all-day symposium on January 5 titled “Shaping the West: American Sculptors in the 19th Century,” being held at the Denver Art Museum. On January 6, symposium attendees will tour the Denver Art Museum’s exhibit titled “Masterworks of Charles M. Fussell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture,” and enjoy brunch at the museum.

Tickets: Symposium tickets are $65 each for Denver Art Museum members and $75 for non-members; Russell exhibit tour and brunch tickets are $50 each; Red Carpet Reception tickets are $175 each. Three-event ticket packages are $260 each.

Contact: Nicole Parks at the Denver Art Museum, (720) 913-0025,  western at denverartmuseum.org; or Annie Bengtson at (303) 299-5561,  coorsart at nationalwestern.com. For a schedule of events and information on the participating artists, visit online nationalwestern.com/coorsart.