Born in a remote village of the Province of Quebec, Will James is a French Canadian whose birth name was Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault. As a youth he longed to become a cowboy. In 1907, at the age of 15, he left home to live his dream in Western Canada. Even way back then James was always drawing his favorite subject, cowboys and horses anywhere there was something to draw on. After working on farms and ranches in Saskatchewan and Alberta until about 1910, he appears to have become involved in a dispute with the law. The then Ernest Dufault changed his name to William Roderick James and drifted permanently to the United States. He began to capture wild horses for profit and work as a hand for cattle outfits in Montana, Idaho and Nevada. Arrested for cattle rustling, he served 18 months in Nevada State prison from 1914 to 1916.

While in prison he had time to work on his drawings, he was admired for his work and was urged to become an artist.

Several months after his release, while breaking wild horses for a ranch company south of Carson City, Nevada he suffered a severe kick in the jaw by a bronc. He now needed dental work and was told the best Dentists were in Los Angeles, California. While in LA getting dental repairs, he joined the famous Clarence (Fat) Joes Stable late in 1916, becoming a movie stuntman specializing in daring horse action.

Drafted into the Army during World War I, James served as a mounted scout with the 21rst Infantry Regiment along the California - Mexican border. His discharge in 1919 brought him American citizenship. He returned to his cowboy lifestyle but received a near fatal head injury after being thrown by a wild horse just outside of Reno, Nevada.

Biography courtesy of the Will James Society

Click below to go directly to any of the renowned artist featured in Cowboys North and South

Jay Adcock Bill Anton Wayne Baize Joe Beeler Teal Blake Ed Borein Sophy Brown Tom Browning Shawn Cameron Mike Capron Wilson Capron Todd Connor Bob Coronato Tyler Crow Glenn Dean Jane DeDecker Jay Dusard Josh Elliott Phil Epp Deborah Fellows Bruce Greene Brad Greenwood Martin Grelle Scott Hardy Linda Hayden Bo Joe TD Kelsey Matt Litz Rich Loffler Robert Lougheed Pablo Lozano William Matthews Herb Mignery Joe Milazzo Paul Moore John Moyers Terri Kelly Moyers Tyler Murphy Bill Nebeker Scott O’Farrell Julie Oriet Joel Ostlind Bill Owen Pedro Pedrini Noe Perez Scott Tallman Powers Maximo Prado Clark Kelley Price Robert Pummill Grant Redden Jim Rey James Reynolds Javier Ribeyrol Cary Schwarz Jason Scull Tim Shinabarger Cathy Smith Chuck Stormes Ezra Tucker Barbara Van Cleve Don Weller Rygh Westby John Willemsma Stewart Williamson Kathy Wipfler

For more information, or to acquire a piece from Cowboys North and South, please call the gallery at 970-476-9350

Click below to expand the full list of artists that have contributed to Cowboys North and South. Click an artist’s name to go directly to their work.
For more information, or to acquire a piece from Cowboys North and South, please call the gallery at 970-476-9350

Jay Adcock grew up amongst a ranching family in Oklahoma. He was inspired by his grandfather to work with rawhide and leather at an early age. He spent some time with Oregon rawhide braider Frank Hansen and honed his craft while working on various ranches across the Western United States. Adcock went through the Texas Christian University Ranch Management Program in 1992 and was awarded the Academy of Western Artists Braider of the Year Award in 2006. He braids rawhide full time and lives with his daughter Ella on a cow-calf operation outside of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He also has a son, Hayden, who resides in Butte, Montana.

When the influence of your creativity is nurtured by the artistic prowess of James Reynolds, Ned Jacob and Michael Lynch your bound to display a giant stride in the stroke of your brush and layers of your paint to produce cultivated works of art. Bill Anton strives to elevate the level of his artwork through the tutelage of these great minds and continually soaks in the knowledge of his peers.  His passion for the west; be it a sweeping mountain vista or the kinetic energy of life on a ranch, speaks thoughtfully from the end of the brush with each stroke he lays on the canvas. These words define the story behind each painting Bill brings to his audience.

"I do not see myself as a biographer of the "cowboy." I know some artists feel they are recording a historical portrayal of ranch life today in the American West. But the focus of my work has always been mood and passion. If I'm recording anything, I'm recording how I feel about the West. I want the viewer to feel the drama of atmosphere and the mystery of a western night. I want the volume and portent of a cloud to be evident in the calligraphy of a brush stroke. The pack of the muscle below a horse's shoulder should be energized by the gestural application of paint.”

Wayne Baize’s deep love of the horse plays a major part in his everyday existence and that respect reveals itself in each painting he creates.  Depicting the modern cowboy’s daily life and rituals from the chaos of cattle roundups to contemplative scouts assessing the environment of the range, his inspiration rides in the saddle with him. Hailing from a small livestock ranch in West Texas, Baize lives his truth. His paintings are a testament to the enduring spirit of the American frontier, capturing the beauty and majesty of the ranching life.  A man of the west, through and through.  

Joe Beeler grew up in the Osage country of the Missouri-Oklahoma borderland like a young Huck Finn on horseback. With a pedigree that traces to a proud people enriched by Cherokee blood, he learned early how to rope, ride and hunt, and soon developed a knack for drawing cowboys, Indians and horses. He filled his head and heart with tales of old-timers, with his own adventures of horses and cattle, and with the vivid impressions of the swirling color and excitement of Quapaw powwows.

After a stint in Korea with Uncle Sam, Beeler met and married Sharon McPherson in the summer of 1956. He earned a degree in fine art from Kansas State College, and then went on to California for further study at the Art Center School in Los Angeles. Back in Osage country after just a year out West, the Beelers settled in a small rural cabin where Joe struggled to paint for a living with time off daily to shoot something for supper.

Hailing from the eastern ridges of Montana’s Rocky Mountains, Teal Blake was surrounded by a quintessential view of ranching life.  His family history runs deep with a rooted pulse of the rodeo, quarter horses and the daily routines of a cowboy.  The visual whispers of influence decorated the walls of his father’s studio with western folklore from like of Charlie Russell to Will James.  With his surroundings and background, it is not a wonder that Teal started putting the characters that filled his daily life on paper eventually tinting the personalities with watercolors and oils.  Pillars of inspiration beckoned from the chaos of the corral, riding hell bent before an approaching storm or trailering the horses to head on the circuit: all these organic circumstances are captured in his work. A true man of the saddle.

Edward Borein was an American etcher and painter from California. His artwork depicted Spanish Colonial California, the Old West, and Mexico.

Borein was born in 1872 in San Leandro, California. His maternal grandfather was "one of the most famous horsemen in Alta California", and his father worked for the sheriff of Alameda County.

Borein grew up as a vaquero on the Jesus Maria Rancho (later known as Camp Cooke). He studied art in New York City, where he became friends with Will Rogers, and in Paris. He was primarily trained as an illustrator.

Fever pitched close ups of chaos and serene moments of contemplation drape the canvas’ of Sophy Brown’s work.  Her kinship with horses inspires the foundation of her creative prowess.  She describes this relationship with this quote: “Imagine an alarmed horse with wild eyes and head held high. His haunches are bunched, his feet are already moving underneath him and every fiber is poised for an action yet to be decided upon. That moment shivers with alert readiness is something we recognize in our blood, and bone. Using the horse as a subject, these paintings attempt to evoke an emotional recognition. Horses are instinctive in a physical way; they stand securely in their unique place in nature and speak to me on a visceral level and can remind us of our own animal skin. For me I can see all of life looking at horses, their responses and their relationships with each other, with people and their environment.”  

Patrons are drawn to her pure—raw portrayal of life from her deepest understanding and perspective.  You can’t help being drawn in.

“I didn’t choose art as a career, it chose me” is the answer often given by Tom Browning whenever asked why he decided to become and artist.  Tom began drawing horses, wildlife and Indians at the age of seven, and after five decades of painting and studying the work of Charlie Russel, James Reynolds, Haddon Sunblom Browning never tires of finding exciting ways to express this subject matter with the colorful and fluid brushwork that distinguish his place in the Western art market.  

“My paintings portray the cowboy and ranch life I’ve personally known.  My motivation is the nobility of these horseback men, my medium is canvas and a brush and by God’s grace I accomplish what is set before me.” 

Learning is a life-long passion, and the art world is an infinite resource. Although primarily self-taught, the mentoring of several prominent western artists helped her work grow and evolve into a career that has spanned three decades.  She remains grateful to all but especially Bill Owen, for generously sharing his knowledge in many areas, for Joe Beeler whose continued encouragement and support meant so much and to Robert "Shoofly" Shufelt who opened a door to the world of professional art.

I have always been fascinated by these three things: ridin’, ropin’, and paintin’. I find many things similar in these three art forms. The challenges are always present in all three. Nobody rides every horse, nobody catches every cow, and nobody makes a masterpiece every time.  I am satisfied to concentrate on the art form of painting, drawing and sculpture at the present.  Sharpening the fundamentals of draftsmanship, composition, values of form, color studies of Chihuahuan light, paint quality, perspective, anatomy and proportions are something that will keep me busy through this lifetime.  I love the problems of creating a picture that someone can relate to and feel connected to. This is a means of communications that has been around since the first cave wall artist. Expressing oneself is always a challenge, but it can be hopeless if you don’t have anything to say. 

Wilson Capron takes high relief sculpted engraving to a whole new level with his attention to finite details folded into each curve and surface of his work.  In each piece he is offering up a part of his heart and soul, telling his story of the west.   Since 1997 Wilson has chiseled away precious metals to reveal elegant nuances in his bits, spurs with unique ornamentation.  His knowledge in metallurgy is unparalleled, forging together the strength of steel, the regalbrilliance of gold and sleek reflections of silver bringing them together to form these equine works of art.  Knowing first-hand the utility and function of these necessary pieces of equipment to lead a horse through daily chores, Wilson takes particular care to make all the moving parts uniquely convey the message from rider to horse as clear and gentle as possible.  With this kind of attention to detail on both ends of the spectrum, owning a piece of Capron’s is a true bridge between a ranching team.  

Todd Connor a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has lived and painted in Montana for most of his professional career. His love of the outdoors grew from a childhood spent camping, hunting and fishing. At the age of twelve he started painting in pastels and oils. His subject matter ranged from landscapes to fish, wildlife and western themes.         

After high school, Todd took time off from painting and joined the Navy where he served as a Navy SEAL in Coronado, California, and overseas. After the Navy he traveled the country visiting historical sites and National Parks where his love of history and the outdoors came together with his desire to pick up the paint brush once again. 

“I used to open books and look at the “Old West” photos and see cowboys riding the open plains, and I would stop and think, “I wished I lived 100 years ago.”

After going out to the very remote west, and finding ranches that still “cowboy” in the old ways, I realized that the west I was searching for as a kid, was still there.

In tiny hidden corners of our country, you can still find places untouched by time. There are ranches that gather on horseback 2000 to 3000 head of cows, across 100’s of miles of fenceless landscape. Hulett Wyoming is one of these hidden treasures. 20 years ago I attended Otis/Parsons Art institute in Los Angeles, and upon graduation, I moved to a town of 408 people called Hulett, to find the west I was looking for.

Tyler Crow will be the first to acknowledge the discovery and honing of his craft are credited to a long list of folks who took an interest in his artistic talent and subsequent career as a young adult, not the least of which is the “Good Lord Himself.”

Growing up between the farmland and foothills of Apache, Oklahoma, Tyler discovered his calling in art and developed his unique style. He continues a lifelong commitment to grow and improve in his artwork.

Taking his art from talent to trade has taken time and development, but Tyler found his subject matter long before he ever picked up a brush. Cowboy culture and western heritage were etched in Tyler’s youth, and he’s committed his artistic career to preserving the western way of life and the contemporary cowboys who live it every day.

Glenn Dean’s childhood interest in art matured into a love of painting landscapes by his early twenties. Exposure to the California and Western landscape painters of the early 1900’s had a great influence on the young artist, and directed the course of his career early on.  In the works of such masters as Edgar Payne and Maynard Dixon, Dean saw the “importance of seeing the color of light” while “carefully observing the simple and basic characteristics of a specific location.” 

Largely a self-taught Artist, Dean has a passion and joy for discovering answers to the complexities found in the works of those past masters and continues to strive for a similar quality in his own work. In recent years, Dean has turned his attention to the figure within the landscape as he brings the figure closer to the forefront. It is the relationship between the figure and his surroundings which intrigues Dean.   

Jane DeDecker has been making a major contribution to the world sculpture scene since 1986. Creating over 350 limited edition, original sculptures, 90 of those being life-size and 20 one-of-a-kind monuments, with multiple sold-out editions. She has been published in magazines reaching global circulations, from USA Today to Forbes Magazine. Jane DeDecker has hit her stride in honoring the historical significance of women’s achievements through sculptural form. Throughout her career, she has commemorated the accomplishments of over 35 trailblazers like Amelia Earhart, Emily Dickenson, Harriett Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Hellen Keller, and Laura Cornelius Kellogg — this list just scratches the surface of the league of women she has brought into her life and her studio. These women were there to bear witness and bear the burden of discrimination and doubt in their abilities because of their gender. Against insurmountable odds, these champions accomplished groundbreaking achievements. In 2021 Jane had over 15 sculptures of sentinel women (in various stages of completion) gracing her studio. And there is always room for more.

Born  in St. Louis in 1937, Jay Dusard was raised on a southern Illinois farm. As an architecture student at the University of Florida, a travel scholarship to study American architecture, coast to coast, was his introduction to the American West. 
Dusard spent two years in the peacetime army, using his off-duty hours to "cowboy" near Fort Hood, Texas. In 1963, his cow punching led him to an Arizona-Sonora border ranch, where he found his best deal ever: "open country, independence, seven bucks a day, bunk and board."

In 1965, while living in Tucson, Arizona, and working in architecture and cartography, Dusard started photographing. A year later in Flagstaff he was working in publishing and regularly aiming his large-format cameras at the landscape. He met photographer Frederick Sommer, who became his mentor and paved the way for him to teach photography for seven years at Prescott College.

Josh Elliott was born in Great Falls, MT in 1973. He was raised to appreciate art and is a third generation artist. His grandfather studied with Grant Wood and dabbled in all sorts of artistic pursuits. His father, wildlife artist Steve Elliott, gave up a successful career as an ER doctor to become a full-time artist.  Josh's father taught and encouraged him. Josh learned the importance of painting from life and discovered his passion for painting outdoors. He sees his outdoor paintings as a reaction to what is in front of him, and feels they act as exercise to sharpen his skills. He considers his studio paintings to be a culmination of everything he has learned from painting out, combined with his own artistic interpretation.

Born in Montana, Josh lived out of state for some time but always felt a deep connection with Montana's landscape and people. Josh now lives with his wife and two daughters in Helena, Montana.

Phil Epp was born in York, Nebraska, in 1946 and raised in rural Nebraska on a crop/cattle farm. Phil says he is strongly imprinted into the open spaces of the Great Plains where he was born and have spent most of his life. His paintings reflect this celebration of open sky and landscape, with a hint of human occupation, and he strives to incorporate timeless universal icons into the landscape. A recent trip to the Kazakh Steppe in Central Asia reinforced his efforts at a universal dialog of the sparsely inhabited visual environments. He says his recent works attempt to place emphasis on content and subject over technique and medium, in an effort to better communicate with the viewer.

Phil was awarded the Kansas Governors Artist award in 1985. His paintings have been shown at galleries in New Mexico, Chicago, Kansas City and New York. Numerous monumental public works have been awarded honors, including 8 wonders of Kansas Art in 2009 and Water Tower of the Year in 2010. In 2009, Phil was selected as a U.S. cultural ambassador to Kazakhstan with the U.S. Department of States’ Art in Embassies program. His work has been displayed in American Embassies in Latvia, Africa and Fiji. In 2010 he received the Best of Show award at the Panhandle Plains Invitational in Canyon, Texas.

Deborah Copenhaver was born and raised on a cattle and Quarter Horse ranch in northern Idaho.

Her father, a World Champion Bronc Rider, supported the family with his winnings. She and her younger brother Jeff grew up on the ranch, often alone with their mother.  Work on the ranch was shared by all, and a life long passion for horses grew from those responsibilities. It was at this time that Deborah sold her first drawings of horses.

In the post-Vietnam era, Deborah won competitions to create veteran memorials, including the Inland Northwest Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Montana State Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Washington State Korean War Memorial.

Bruce Greene is one of the legitimate heirs to a cowboy kind of legacy that traces its beginnings back to Charlie Russell. It is a legacy that is tied hard and fast to a familiarity and feeling for ranch life reality and based on a bedrock of artistic accomplishment.

Way out in West Texas on the historic JA Ranch established by the patriarch of pioneer cowmen, Charles Goodnight, Bruce has discovered and tapped into a deep reservoir of cowboy reality and enough artistic inspiration to last him a lifetime.

Bruce has seen the sun come up between his horse’s ears on the backside of Palo Duro pasture, and it is his privileged perspective that enables him to show us, through his art, the authentic essence of the contemporary cowboy.

Located in the beautiful Paradise Valley of Montana, north of Yellowstone National Park and just south of Livingston, you'll find the artist's studio filled with a menagerie of artifacts, tools, vintage parts, organic findings and wood … Lots of beautiful and exceptional hard woods.

Authenticity and tenacity, remnants of yesteryear, are alive and thriving here and now inside the workshop of  J. Bradley Greenwood.  

The artist's use of antique and modern mechanics, along with a refreshing measure of remarkable skill and originality, are all elements of the seemingly magical process that takes place within his creative space.

Greenwood's hand-hewn designs are a throwback to an era  when quality craftsmanship was the measure of a products worth

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Born and raised in Clifton, Texas, Martin Grelle and his wife, Joyce, still live on a small ranch a few miles from town. His studio sits in the picturesque Meridian Creek Valley, surrounded by the oak and cedar-covered hills of Bosque County, just a short distance from his home, but also within a few miles of the family and friends who are so important in his life. He has two sons, Josh and Jordan, who have left home to pursue their own dreams. Grelle’s parents, Ervin and Ella, have both passed from this life, but he still has his brothers, Carl and Marvin, living nearby, as well as his sister, Mary, who lives in Fort Worth. Joyce’s three sons, Zach, Emitt and Carl, and their families are also close.

Grelle began drawing and painting when he was very young, and was fortunate to have James Boren & Melvin Warren, two professional artists and members of the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America, move to the area when he was still in high school, and it has had a lasting impact on his direction & career. Mentored by Boren, he had his first one-man show at a local gallery within a year of graduating from high school in 1973.

There’s some spectacular mountain scenery outside Scott Hardy’s silversmithing studio, and he’s got big windows on all four sides to maximize the views and inspiration. To place you geographically, he’ll tell you it’s 45 miles south of Calgary, in the beautiful rolling foothills of the Canadian Rockies, by the little town of Longview. “If you’ve ever seen Open Range, Legends of the Fall, or Unforgiven, they were filmed right around here,” Hardy says. “I can trailer my horse and be in the mountains in 15 minutes. I ride a lot. I always have and always will.”

A fifth-generation stockman, Scott Hardy became a full-time Western silversmith in 1981 and, 17 years later, became a TCAA founding member. Hardy finds inspiration in nature, art, fine craftsmanship and the West itself. Using each of these to fuel his passion, Hardy celebrates the West through his artwork, inspiring craftspeople, artists and collectors alike to see the importance and relevance of the North American cowboy culture. “Embellishing horse and rider with precious metal is a tradition as old as man on horseback,” Hardy said, “and deserves the respect of being done by hand one piece at a time.”

Linda Hayden lives high above the Central San Joaquin Valley of California in the foothills of the Sierra. She and her husband, Joel, and son, Russ are cattle ranchers on the South Fork of the Kaweah River near the small community of Three Rivers, gateway to Sequoia National Park. It is here in this beautiful area that Linda collects the natural materials she uses to dye her handspun wool and create her all natural saddle blankets. Linda grew up in the Salinas Valley of California where she was greatly influenced by some of the best horsemen in California. Her interest and love of traditional horse gear started at an early age and with it came her desire to create saddle blankets similar to those of the Navajo Indian. She has been weaving for 46 years and this desire to weave the traditional wool saddle blankets has taken her to studies in Colorado and New Mexico where she concentrated on the Navajo and Rio Grande methods of weaving.

In 1994 Joel and Linda sold their ranch in the Salinas Valley and moved to Three Rivers. It was at this time that Linda started concentrated on showing her blankets in western art and gear shows. Since that time she has exhibited in Elko, Nevada, Sheridan and Cody Wyoming, Fort Worth, Texas, and numerous shows in California. She has customers through out the U.S., Denmark, England and Italy. 

Born in Shiprock, New Mexico Bo currently resides in Sheridan, Wyoming creating his jewelry directly from his studio.

After receiving the traditional techniques of tufa casting from his father Oreland Joe Sr. (renowned stone sculptor and painter), Bo Joe’s body of work represents a unique hybrid of cultural preservation combined with present day artistry.

Of Diné and Uté descent, Bo specializes in high grade turquoise while his range also includes diamonds, gold, and other precious metals and gems. He takes great pride in offering his clients a refined and personalized experience.

T.D. Kelsey grew up on a ranch near Bozeman, Montana. He rodeoed for many years in rough stock events and team roping. Following that, T.D. trained and showed his own cutting horses for several years. He worked as a commercial pilot for United Airlines until 1979 when he resigned to devote full time to his art.

His interest in, and promotion of, Texas longhorn cattle, maintenance of a wild horse herd on his ranch, passion for Africa and its wildlife, and concern for the conservation of wildlife worldwide have inspired many of his works. An avid traveler, he has visited many countries on every continent except Antarctica, drawing and sculpting people and animals from all corners of the world in addition to his western subjects. He is known for his intense, impressionistic sculptures that capture the spirit of his subjects.

A flat sheet of silver does not hold a lot of meaning for those with an untrained eye, but for silversmith Matt Litz, it is an opportunity to create a work of art designed in his mind and coaxed by his hands.

Silversmith is a craft dating back to as early as 4695 BC. Many of the same tools utilized by the very first silversmiths are still in use today including tongs, engraving burins, large scales, hammers, anvils, small mallets, ceramic furnaces, blowpipes with clay nozzles, and weights.

Growing up in a farming and ranching family, working with my hands has always been a way of life for me. I built my first buckle in 2004 and all I have wanted to do since is build more. I’ve had no formal training or instruction, I build what I see in my head and feel in my heart.

Richard Loffler grew up on the wide-open Saskatchewan prairies in central Canada. He became a committed outdoorsman as a teenager absorbing the wonders of the natural world around him. Many zoos became a retreat for observing animals in close quarters, while the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina, where he began working from 1978 to 2000, was a haven to study the beautifully prepared natural history dioramas.

"I have been given nature's theatre to access freely. I find it a necessary tool in the formation of the idea and the finished work. Working from life affords me controlled confidence. No questions go unanswered.

Robert Lougheed was a Canada-born American artist who has specialized in images of the American West.

He was born and raised on a farm in Massey, Ontario, Canada. He became an illustrator for mail-order catalogues and for the Toronto Star, but studied in his spare time at the Ontario College of Art and then at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal. He went to New York City at the age of twenty-five as the pupil of Frank Vincent DuMond and Dean Cornwell at the Art Students League. However he continued to work as an illustrator for over 30 years and his work appeared in magazines such as National Geographic and Reader's Digest. Lougheed's work as a commercial artist included the Mobil Oil logo of the red flying horse.

He explored the American West, particularly the old Bell Ranch in New Mexico, and many of his paintings were inspired by the scenery and animals of the region. Consequently, in 1970, he was commissioned by the United States Post Office Department to design the six-cent buffalo stamp for their Wildlife Conservation Series.

Born in Buenos Aires, Pablo Lozano’s family tradition is tied to Argentina’s cattle heritage. At age 15 he began studying rawhide braiding with his mentor, the late Don Luis Alberto Flores. A career rawhide braider, Lozano believes in the concept of apprenticeship as a means to educate and preserve traditional arts. He has been awarded Best of Show several times at the Sociedad Rural Argentina and is a member of their panel of judges. Lozano frequently participates in braiding seminars and workshops in the United States and was awarded the 2015 Braider of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists.

William Matthews has had a long and prolific career. He has designed albums, painted book covers, traveled the world and documented it all in beautiful watercolor paintings. Willy is best known for his depictions of the American West. His fine art career has now spanned the better part of five decades of studio and plain-air watercolors and mixed media, earning him recognition across North America, Europe and Asia.

His art continues to appear on CD and book covers, on commemorative posters and in publications. William’s paintings and murals appear on walls on three continents and the halls of Congress. He is the subject of three books, published by Simon & Schuster and Chronicle Books, and a documentary entitled “Drawn To Paint” focusing on Matthews, his work and subject matter, which was broadcast in 2015. Today he continues as a contemporary master painter, lecturer and prominent presence in the international art world. His representational style can be either tightly disciplined or more loosely rendered, and his command of such demanding subjects as water, light, weather and atmosphere is remarkable.

The American cowboy is described by historians as a person of simple tastes and few possessions. Herb Mignery fit this description in 1963 when he left the U.S. Army carrying his only belongings, a guitar and a saddle, bent on becoming an artist. Herb was raised on the Mignery ranch near Bartlet, Nebraska. The Mignery clan had made their living by ranching for 110 years, and it was naturally assumed that Herb would continue in that tradition. As it turned out, he did, but with a special twist to the tale. He is indeed a great cowboy, but is also a talented sculptor of character types of the historic West.

Herb's subjects are usually a bit haggard as a result of the difficult lives they have lead. The figures have a certain elegance and sense of classical composure in spite of the fact that they are not idealized. Farmers and ranchers have large, rough hands that have seen many hours of labor, and weathered but friendly faces. Details and accoutrements tell us about the subjects, their profession, and their lives, so that each sculpture completes a piece of the story of life in the West. The beauty of imperfections is what we see, for it is the imperfections that reveal the hidden tales of the figures' lives.

Born and raised in California, Joe Milazzo attended Pasadena City College and Art Center College of Design. Joe was drawn to a fundamental medium, pen and ink.  The boldness and range of depth one gets when rendering in black and white is fascinating to him. 

Joe considers his ability a God-given talent.  One that he does not take for granted.  "It is a blessing and a privilege to be able to render images and give the glory to God."

His delicate, yet intricate lines and his attention to detail make him a sought after artist. Collected internationally for commissions of prominent figures for public and private collectors alike.
Milazzo has recently added charcoal to his drawing resume.  This allows him to create much larger scale drawings while keeping the same technique.  The larger drawings are even more dramatic.

Paul Moore is a fifth generation Oklahoman who has gained national and international recognition with his sculpture. He grew up on stories of his relatives taking part in Oklahoma’s major historical events, such as the Trail of Tears and the Chisholm Trail. His grandfather grew up next door to Quanah Parker, where Quanah’s youngest wife, Tonarcy made him baby moccasins at his birth. Over the years, Quanah gave him many gifts including a bear claw necklace and a horse hair rope. These stories, as well as a life changing visit to the Cowboy Hall of Fame, when he was young, influenced and inspired his decision to become a sculptor.

Paul is in constant demand for portrait and monumental commissions and in the past 40 years, he has sculpted more than 150 commissions. His work is in the U.S. Capitol Collection, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the Brookgreen Gardens Collection and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum to name a few. Numerous municipal, corporate, private and international institutions also have collected his work.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, John’s parents later moved their family to Albuquerque, where he spent the greater portion of his childhood. As the son of a CA artist William Moyers, John was raised in a household that lived and breathed art. His parents were very support of his of his artistic ambition.

John spent a memorable year at the Laguna Beach School of Art. Courses centered on life drawing, and he enrolled in both day and night classes. Next he attended the California Institute for the Fine Arts, with the help of a Walt Disney Studios scholarship. Classes were on animation techniques.

Terri Kelly Moyers has never wanted to do anything in life but paint.  Even as a child growing up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she was constantly drawing with her main subject matter being horses. She briefly studied at the Alberta College of Art and also the Mount Royal Community College, but the stylistic emphasis in these two institutions was not of the realist, nature-based school that interested Terri.  She continued working independently until she attended a month-long painting workshop taught by the artist, Robert Lougheed, at the Okanagan Game Farm in British Columbia.  It was there that she began in earnest painting animals from life as well as rubbing shoulders with and getting advice from artists from all over America.  One of those artists receiving instruction from Lougheed was her future husband, John Moyers, of New Mexico.

Tyler Murphy grew up near Joliet, Montana. He now lives in Billings and finds inspiration from the landscapes along the Beartooth front and across the backroads of Eastern Montana. He seeks to return attention to the meaningful things of life that come from working and caring for one’s home, land, friendships, and family. As the world turns ever more toward choosing whatever is fast and expedient, Murphy hopes to hone his craftsmanship making paintings that are heartfelt and one of a kind. He strives to create art full of vitality, mystery, and layers of liminal elements such as a farmer feeding with square bales in the early morning. Just as a sunrise or sunset only lasts so long, one day such work may be only found in paintings and photographs.

Looking at a Bill Nebeker sculpture gives one an honest and authentic portrayal of the historic American West or contemporary ranch life. Quiet tributes, subtle humor and wry observations underlie Nebeker’s work. His knack for weaving an unobtrusive storyline into a sculpture challenges the unsuspecting viewer, “Oh! Now I get it!” That moment of discovery is at the heart of experiencing and appreciating Bill’s bronzes.

Raised in Prescott, Arizona since early boyhood, his heart is with ranchers, and outdoorsmen of all cultures past and present. His childhood hobby of whittling horses, dogs, other animals and toys developed without formal instruction into the God given talent he shares today with admirers all over the world.

Scott O'Farrell is a second-generation artisan hat maker, but that's an understatement for Scott. You see, there are hats, then there are Hats. When you step into his shop for a hat, you'll be measured, a template made and the size and shape of your head will be filed away for any future orders. Every head has a different shape, and using old and new technology, each hat is custom made to fit exactly to the head of the owner - they're not interchangeable. Deeply personal, treasured and each one, one-of-a-kind, these are Hats that are truly treasures.

With his Santa Fe shop full of beautiful, individually custom, mostly western hats, he's well known to people in the area. Folks who know hats, hat connoisseurs around the world, as well as television and movie producers, all come to the mountain for their tops.

Julie considers herself lucky to have been born and raised in rural Montana- enjoying the best it has to offer. She was surrounded by beautiful scenery, big blue skies and an endless variety of animals. Her enthusiasm for the West, as well as travels to other parts of the world, continue to create new adventures that inspire ideas for future paintings.  

Oriet has participated in numerous national shows including Museum of Western Art Annual Fall Sale, Kerrville, TX, Small Works, Great Wonders, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK; Cowgirl Up!, Desert Caballeros Museum, Wickenburg, AZ; Heart of West Art Exhibition and Sale at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, TX; Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale in Cody, WY; Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale in Denver,CO; C.M. Russell Auction and Exhibitors Show in Great Falls, MT; Western Masters, Great Falls, MT, Art of the West, High Desert Museum-Bend, OR and shows at The Brinton Museum in Big Horn, WY.

Wyoming native Joel Ostlind is a self-taught artist who spent much of his life herding cattle on horses throughout the American West. He holds degrees in Soil Science and Ranch Management, but this tall cowboy always carried a sketchbook to record his intimacy with the land in exquisite detail and authenticity.   

In 1990, he bid farewell to his cowboy days and moved with his wife and family to a home outside Big Horn, Wyoming. He signed up for a printmaking class at Sheridan College and built a home studio in the Big Horn Mountains. His drawings found new life as copper plate etchings depicting the full range of Western life, from Native American lodges to contemporary fly fishermen, telemark skiers and horses grazing under Wyoming skies. Although Ostlind is also a painter, he considers himself first and foremost an etcher. His style has been compared to Rembrandt’s, emphasizing expressive draftsmanship. The pencil drawings of those sketchbook days are the foundation of all of Ostlind’s artworks, just as Rembrandt used sketches to plan his canvases. 

Bill Owen was a cowboy artist extraordinaire. Born in Gila Bend, Arizona, he came by his chosen profession naturally, as his father was a cowboy in the early 1900s and his mother was an artist. Bill’s self-taught artistic talents allowed him to capture the spirit and essence of the contemporary working cowboy through drawing, painting in both watercolors and oils, and sculpting.

Bill Owen specialized in portraying the working cowboy in his natural setting, not a romanticized image. He was proud of the authenticity of his art. “It’s important to me that I accurately paint what cowboys are, what they do, how they work, including every detail, down to the type of rigging they use, such as the saddles. I feel that I’m recording what will someday be the history of the contemporary cowboy of this area, mostly in Arizona.”

Born in France in 1952, Pedro (‘Jean Pierre’) Pedrini grew up in the Swiss Alps of Europe. Raised around horses, his interest soon turned to western riding. He went on to join western riding associations and clubs from both France and Switzerland.

In addition to riding horses, Pedro’s interests expanded to include the mechanics of western gear and leather work. In 1972, he met a Swiss leather crafter who helped him get started making his own western gear. Wanting to grow as a craftsman, he couldn’t find anyone able to help him progress. He knew that coming to the United States would be the answer to learning the advanced techniques of saddle making.

Noe Perez is a contemporary artist living in Corpus Christi, TX. Noe's artistic education began early in his teens by studying with a local artist and is still going on today.  Most recently, he has attended plein air painting workshops with PAPA artists Ron Rencher and George Strickland. 

"I like to study the original works that inspire me whenever I have the opportunity.  Some of my favorite artists include William Merritt Chase and Joaquin Sorolla as well as Texas painters Julian Onderdonk and Porfirio Salinas.  Most of my work is done in the studio from photographs and plein air studies.  I believe that plein air painting is an essential exercise for any landscape painter.  I try to paint outdoors whenever I have the chance."

Noe participated in the Night of Artists Art Show and Dinner for the benefit of the Briscoe Western Art Museum in 2006, 2007, and 2008.  Noe's paintings have been accepted in the annual Salon International show hosted by Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio, TX in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.  Noe's artwork is included in the book Texas Traditions released in August 2010.

Scott Tallman Powers was born in 1972 in Birmingham, Alabama. Scott began drawing as a child with his father who was a medical illustrator, photographer and fine artist. While watching and learning from him, his love of art began.

Scott’s education began in high school with two extremely influential and supportive art instructors. This led to four years of intensive study at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. There he trained under many important instructors in the fields of Oil painting, Watercolor, Drawing, Anatomy and Sculpture. After his time at the Academy, Scott spent many years as an illustrator in a Chicago ad agency before pursuing his dream as a full-time fine artist. Scott is the founder of “The Plein Air Painters of Chicago” group. A weekly outdoor painting group in Chicago, Illinois. 

Prado was born in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He started studying the art of rawhide braiding from his mentor and longtime friend Armando Deferrari in Pergamino, Argentina in 1998, an apprenticeship that lasted over a decade. Prado enriched his skills as a traditional rawhide braider with the assistance of fellow braiders Pablo Lozano and the late Don Luis Alberto Flores. He believes in the concept of apprenticeships as a means to educate and safeguard the craft and cultural legacy.  

Prado’s traditional rawhide braiding is recognized for its dependable use and beauty due to his skill, talent and dedication. His passion for rawhide braiding and the Gaucho’s legacy has driven him to start studying and learning about other horse cultures, specially the Vaquero’s horsemanship and the tools of their trade.

Clark was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho in 1945. As a child he loved to draw. Even his earliest artistic efforts told stories. His parents Rex T. and Kathryn E. Price recognized his talent and encouraged him to use it. He received his formal education at Ricks College and Brigham Young University. His deep commitment to the Gospel, his love of the West (both modern and historical), and his life experiences have been his greatest resources in developing his talent.

He spent his early years living in a log cabin his parents built in Montana. Surrounded by nature, Clark developed an appreciation for the land, as well as an ability to observe the kinds of details many overlook. He has been able to call upon many of his observations and experiences to create the art for which he has become known. The subject matter of his work ranges from religious to all things west.

I spent my youth in southern Ohio where there were no Art Schools available.  I received my early training through correspondence, Art Instructions Incorporated at age eleven, later with Famous Artists School.

Always wanting to improve my knowledge of art I took every opportunity available and, after nine years in the military, Shirley and I moved to Los Angeles where I worked for TRW Corp. and briefly went to Art Center at night.

After several more moves we ended up in Dallas, Texas where I worked for Vought Aeronautics as an industrial illustrator while painting for galleries in the evenings and on weekends.

In 1977 I was able to quit my day job and spend full time as an artist painting the subjects I loved. That makes me the most fortunate of men.

— Robert Pummill

Grant Redden was born and raised in southwest Wyoming working on the family ranch raising sheep and cattle.  Horses were an integral part of the operation including camp horses, pack strings, and draft horses to pull camps and feed livestock in heavy winters.  Naturally, they are a major part of his art.  Grant believes these animals have their own personalities and characteristics which should come out in each painting; he uses no formulas.

Grant always had a bug to paint; he naturally looks to the landscape, the animals, and the western people as subjects for his creative impulse.  His parents were from pioneering stock – his mother was born in a log cabin on the Henry’s Fork of the Green River in southwest Wyoming to a homesteading family and attended a one-room school house until high school. Her family was fiercely independent and self-reliant.  His father’s family was among the first pioneers to settle in Utah in the 1800’s.  With this background, Grant developed a strong attachment to the land and the life and an interest in history.  He feels fortunate to have the chance to build his home and raise his family on 120 acres of their summer pasture land and dedicate himself to painting what he knows. 

After many years living on a small farm in the sandhills just north of Mitchell, Nebraska, Jim Rey and his wife now live outside of Durango, CO. In Nebraska he was surrounded by wide-open prairies to the south and east, the Rocky Mountains to the west, and the tall grass ranges to the north. The equally magnificient but truly different landscape of Colorado will continue to provide a proper setting for his field studies and serve as an inspiration for his paintings of life in the American West.

Documenting the West of his time, Jim visits ranches to paint field studies and photograph action scenes. His love of horses has led him to study, paint and photograph the wild horse in its environment. However, now and then, he travels to either the east or the west coast for an "ocean fix", where he can enjoy painting a completely different subject matter.

James Reynolds played out the adventures of childhood away from the sprawl of the cities, in the shadow of California's High Sierras. He fell under the spell of the mountains, of uncrowded country, and reveled in stories of wild times and bonanza gold. His initial interest in art centered upon a Frank Tenney Johnson calendar reproduction he saw at the age of thirteen.

Following service in the South Pacific during World War II, Reynolds studied at the School of Allied Arts in Los Angeles. He then pursued a brief career in commercial art and soon went on to Hollywood to the motion-picture studios where he would remain for the next 15 years. In the tradition of the great illustrators before him, Reynolds kept a part of himself separate from the routine of his professional work. On his own time he remembered Frank Tenney Johnson and dreamed of unspoiled places against the mountains far from the clatter and clutter of the city. And he painted those places, at first for himself, and then for others who recognized his talent and shared his love of the land.

Ribeyrol was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1977. After graduating from the San Martin College in Berazategui, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ribeyrol started studying the art of silversmithing from Silversmith Fernando Rivalora, at the Municipal School of Arts in Berazategui. Subsequently he studied under Silversmith David Zaco, learning the art of sculpting and chiseling in silver.

Ribeyrol’s non-traditional style and creative talent are recognized by his distinctive hand cut and deeply-sculpted pieces that highlights bold floral motifs in his silver. The chiseling and engraving of floral patterns adds a unique beauty to his style.

Ribeyrol has mentored several aspiring silversmith from his shop in the town of Platanos in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He believes in the concept of apprenticeship as a means to educate and safeguard the Gaucho’s cultural legacy. Therefore, he has been participating as an instructor at the Municipal School of Arts in Berazategui, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Education, training aspiring silversmith willing to learn the art of sculpting and chiseling silver.

Cary Schwarz has accumulated over four decades of leatherwork and saddlemaking experience simply by placing one foot in front of the other in a purposeful direction. This has created a great deal of freedom to explore new territory in artistry and craftsmanship. The days are filled with inspiration from the shapes of the saddle parts themselves … the study and design of these shapes provide clues to what will look nice for decoration. Schwarz is at a place in his career where he can run with ideas and creativity unencumbered.

Schwarz first began working with leather in 1972. Growing up on the family farm in a German Lutheran community in Idaho proved to be fertile soil for creativity and learning. In the late 1970s he worked for wages in a holster shop in Twin Falls. This experience reinforced his belief in taking the time to get the job done right. In the early 1980s he attended a trade school for saddlemaking taught by Jesse Smith in Spokane, Washington. Since then, Schwarz has diligently studied the art of saddlemaking, crediting Ray Holes Saddle Company, Dale Harwood and Chuck Stormes, as major influences in his development as a saddlemaker.

Jason Scull grew up in a family that farmed and ranched on the fringes of the South Texas brush country. His ancestors, early settlers who arrived in Texas in the mid-1820s, ranched, raised families, fought wars, and carved their place into the American West. It is from his early experiences and heritage that his art has been shaped, directed, and inspired.

Scull’s life with cattle and horses coupled with his respect for the culture of the American West have long inspired his art. He studied animal science at Texas A&M and returned to the family ranch, where he remained involved in the operation until 2010. His early study of sculpture began in 1987 through the Cowboy Artists of America Museum workshop program. Additional education came in the form of personal study with established artists, most notably Jack Swanson, Mehl Lawson, and Cynthia Ridgen.

From an early age, Tim Shinabarger developed an obsession with wildlife and wild places. He took art classes while attending Eastern Montana College where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business. He furthered his art education by attending workshops by prominent artists and studying the works of past masters. Tim also has a background in taxidermy, and in the past worked as a guide, backcountry ranger, and forest fire fighter.

Following in the footsteps of such pathfinders as Carl Rungius and Belmore Brown, Shinabarger makes regular pilgrimages into the wilderness to gather ideas for new works. In order to convey the essence of his elusive subjects, he says it is necessary to put himself in a position to directly observe them in the wild. Indeed, be it the Brooks Range in remotest Alaska where he has spent weeks trailing Grizzly bears and migrating caribou; the Wrangle Range where he’s ascended the rugged crags in search of Dall Sheep; the red rock canyons of Utah where he’s plied the shadows in search of mule deer; or the vast greater Yellowstone ecosystem in his own back yard, where he’s ambled after moose and majestic wapiti, his wanderings fail to quench an endless thirst for wildlife and wild places. 

Cathy Smith, artist, historian and scholar of the American West, is best known for her authentic costumes in films such as Dances with Wolves, Comanche Moon, Geronimo and Son of the Morning Star – for which she won the Emmy for Excellence in Costume Design. She is also a 2013 inductee into the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame.

Growing up on a ranch in western South Dakota, bordering two Sioux reservations, led to her relentless pursuit of authentic, traditional Native American art forms, design, and techniques – which have become a much sought after commodity for everyone from museum curators to international collectors to Hollywood producers.

Cathy has spent her lifetime participating in the ceremonies and cultural life-ways of relatives on the Cheyenne River Reservation and refining her skills in the sacred art of porcupine quillwork.

Cathy lectures on the art & culture of the Western Plains at museums and events, from the Smithsonian to the Eiteljorg. She has exhibited at the National Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth and the Smithsonian, among others. She restores original artifacts for museums & collectors and creates custom clothing and accoutrements not only for film and museums, but for clients worldwide.

Chuck Stormes is a renowned Canadian saddlemaker with over 50 years of experience in the craft. Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Stormes developed a passion for horses and saddlery at a young age. He honed his skills by studying under master saddlemakers and through years of hands-on experience. 

Stormes is known for his meticulous attention to detail and commitment to quality craftsmanship. His saddles are highly sought after by riders and collectors around the world for their durability, comfort, and beauty. Stormes' innovative designs and use of high-quality materials set his saddles apart from the rest.

After 30-plus years of illustration and commercial art success, Ezra Tucker embarked on a fine art career, determined to create his own style of artistic beauty in both the portrayal of wildlife and historical personalities and events surrounding the settling of the American Western frontier. This 18-year journey has proved fulfilling and rewarding to his artistic vision and ambitions.

Tucker is widely admired for his paintings that portray wildlife, notably mammals, but also birds as well as historic scenes. His wildlife and historical art is reminiscent of the descriptive and narrative art produced by naturalists like Charles R. Knight and John James Audubon and reflective of many of the illustrators of the Golden Age of Illustration. While done with a nod of the head to the rich style of famous American illustrator Howard Pyle, Tucker’s art is both lyrical and specific at the same time.

Barbara Van Cleve’s heritage is rich with family history and firsthand experience. Her family’s ranch, the Lazy K Bar, was founded in 1880 on the east slopes of the Crazy Mountains near Melville, Montana.

Barbara’s passion for photography sprouted as a young girl when she received a Brownie Junior camera for her 11th birthday. Since then, it has followed her throughout her life. However, it wasn’t until 1980 that she decided to home in on her craft and dedicate her time entirely to photography. From that point on, Barbara has devoted her career to capturing the grit and beauty of the American West.

As a boy Don Weller drew horses and cowboys when he wasn’t exploring with his horse along the Palouse River or over the rolling hills that surrounded his childhood home near Pullman, Washington. Graduating from Washington State University with a degree in Fine Art, he sold his horses and moved to Los Angeles where he spent decades doing graphic design and illustration. Clients includedTime Magazine, The Hollywood Bowl, The National Football League, the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and he created five stamps for the United States Post Office.  Besides illustration and graphic design, he taught school part time, three years at UCLA, where he met his wife Cha Cha, and eleven years at the Art Center School in Pasadena.

Finally, Don realized he had seen all the cement and palm trees he could stand and moved to Utah.  He and Cha Cha live in rural Oakley, Utah, with Eddie the border collie, two cats, and three horses who are bred to cut. Don creates western paintings and rides the cutting horses.

 “I never took lessons, or painted with anybody, it just wasn’t possible”. As a self-taught artist, Rygh painted at night while using bunkhouses or barns as his studio. While working for the historic Padlock Ranch in Montana he made his first sale of a painting through a gallery. Prior to that Rygh traded paintings to pay for doctor bills, partial payments on a saddle and the like. The sale of that small painting led to the creation of a body of work over the next four decades.

Besides his family, the other motivating force in his life was the influence of men like Charlie Russell (who his great uncles in Montana knew personally), Frederic Remington, Maynard Dixon, Joe Beeler, Bill Owen, and his old compadre, Jack Swanson. “Producing art is, if nothing else, a lot of hard work. For me the motivation has to be strong enough to get me off dead center. The love of horses, cattle, and the Western landscape is what makes me tick. I am fortunate to have a wife that shares this love because it’s almost like asking her to put up with a mistress sometimes.”…

His body of work, depicting the cowboy has been created in oils, watercolors, pen and ink, and bronze.  Rygh’s work has appeared on the cover of Western Horseman six times amongst exhibitions across the west.  Rygh Westby also illustrated singer Ian Tyson’s book “I Never Sold My Saddle”.

John Willemsma has had the great fortune of being able to study under some of today's greatest craftsmen, such as Don King, Dale Harwood and Chuck Stormes. Combining the knowledge he gained from them, and his study of early saddleries particularly Visalia, Hamley and Ray Holes, John brings a strong desire for high standards to each and every saddle that he builds. 

2006 marks John's 30th year building high quality custom saddles. Day working on several ranches during his period, has given him an appreciation of the importance of function and fit of a custom saddle 

  In 1986 John opened LJ's Saddlery with a desire to build and design saddles that he felt met the needs of both working cowboy's, horsemen and women alike. 

Stewart’s family has ranched in the Southwest for over 120 years. Growing up working horses on their family ranch in Southeastern New Mexico gave him an early fascination for good quality, functional cowboy gear. In 2003, he attended Johny Weyerts’ engraving school in Alpine, Texas. He was quickly hooked, and he started practicing diligently and sought tips and advice from makers whose work he admired. Stewart is eternally grateful to the inspirational craftsmen--Wilson Capron, Jerry Falkner, Mike Anders, Russell Yates and Joe Spiller—who all shared their knowledge and passion of the craft with him along his career.  Stewart’s goal is to make top quality pieces that are both functional and pleasing to the eye.

Stewart has enjoyed a successful career designing, building, and engraving spurs, bits, buckles, and more with a steady hand that earned him the Engraver of the Year Award in 2010 from the Academy of Western Artists, and the 2013 Adolph Bayers Spur Maker of the Year Award from the National Bit, Spur, and Saddle Collectors Association (NBSSCA).

Born and raised in California, Kathy Wipfler has called Jackson, Wyoming home since 1978. Drawn to the open spaces and the spectacular scenery of the region, Wipfler finds beauty not only in the landscapes, but also in such scenes as driving cattle and harvesting hay, activities she experiences first-hand living on a working ranch. Her canvas may include a wide variety of subjects including landscapes, wildlife, domestic animals, coastal scenes or rural ranch life. However, it must be said, no matter what her chosen subject, Wipfler’s excellent ability to capture a sense of place consistently provides the viewer with an emotional attachment to that particular scene. A plein-air painter, Kathy Wipfler notes in an interview with ‘Southwest Art’ magazine, “There’s no excuse for not going to the source – if you are a landscapist, you go to the spot”. Wipfler’s confidence allows her to take advantage of her emotional response to the landscape.