Cultured Cowgirl

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.

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.