Nine Days to the Nearest Fort, oil, 32 x 50. |
· Howard Terpning ·
Arizona painter Howard Terpning, a CAA member since 1979, is known for his accurate depictions of 19th-century life on the Great Plains. Terpning [swa sep 89] says his new painting tells the story of an Army scout who is out on the plains alone when his horse goes lame. “The scout takes his bedroll and canteen off the horse, and as he’s pondering what to do, he sees the dust of Indians charging across the plains toward him,” says Terpning. “He’s got a nine-day walk back to camp, and viewers can draw their own conclusions as to whether he makes it or not.” Most of the artist’s ideas come from research, but sometimes the landscape itself suggests an image to him, he says.At the 1998 CAA show, Terpning swept the field, winning Best of Show, the Artists’ Choice Award, and gold awards in drawing and other media, water solubles, and oil. Terpning is represented by Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ. —MB
Skyride, bronze, 12 x 8 x 9. |
· Herb Mignery ·
Skyride was Herb Mignery’s first finished work for this year’s exhibition. “When I do bucking horses—any western action pieces—for the most part I concentrate on design,” says the Loveland, CO, artist [swa may 88]. “That’s the foremost ingredient.” He likes to express rhythmic, fluid movement and capture such motion all the way down to the gesture of hands. Little details, he says, are an integral part of the overall picture. Mignery’s other exhibition bronzes include a Native American fishing with a spear and a young couple astride mules, which is based on a photograph of his wife’s grandparents from their 1911 honeymoon. But Mignery is particularly excited about his new foray into resin. “It’s just such a beautiful medium,” he says. The relief, which has a marble finish, depicts a woman leaning on the handle of a hoe, lost in thought. Mignery is represented by Claggett/Rey Gallery, Vail, CO; Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ; Trailside Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, and Jackson, WY; Altermann & Morris Galleries, Dallas and Houston, TX, and Hilton Head Island, SC; and Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, NM. —LB
The Bride, oil, 48 x 44. |
· Kenneth Riley ·
“The Bride is based on an idea I’ve been kicking around for some time now,” says Arizona painter Kenneth Riley. “I’ve always wanted to do a piece based on this subject.” The bride shown here is a member of the Mandan tribe, which lived near the northern part of the Missouri River in the early 19th century. The Mandan were known for their elegant clothing and accoutrements. “I wanted this painting to be sympathetic to the woman, to be as regal and dignified as possible,” Riley says. “I also wanted to convey a family atmosphere—the bride’s mother is kneeling in front of her adjusting her dress, and the bride’s sister is coming through with a bowl of food for the wedding celebration.” Riley [swa oct 89] says he was primarily interested in the design of this piece. “I wanted to maintain a sense of space around the main figure,” he explains. “I was also concerned with light, so I exaggerated the whiteness of the bride’s dress.” Riley’s work is represented by Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ, and Altermann & Morris Galleries, Dallas and Houston, TX, and Santa Fe, NM. —KB
Close to the Land, oil, 24 x 36. |
· Wayne Baize ·
Wayne Baize’s work and his life epitomize the traditional western lifestyle. The characters and settings in his paintings are based on people and scenes he has encountered on his own 1,300-acre ranch near Fort Davis in West Texas, as well as on the nearby 06 Ranch. Of Close to the Land, Baize says, “The rancher is on the range all the time. I wanted to show his familiarity with the land and with nature.” The setting started out as an actual spot on the 06 Ranch, says the artist, but by the time he had finished the piece it had changed to accommodate the composition. Baize [swa sep 98] works on location but completes many of his paintings back in the studio. Another piece he’s working on for the show is set on his own ranch; it depicts a cowboy driving a Hereford cow and calf in the evening light. “In the background is White Mountain, which I can see from my house,” says Baize. He is represented by Pierce Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ; Trailside Galleries, Jackson, WY; Fenton’s Art Gallery, Ruidoso, NM; and Midland Gallery, Midland, TX. —KB
Little Shepherd, alabaster, 16 x 19 x 10. |
· Oreland Joe ·
Little Shepherd depicts a Navajo girl in the 1920s or ’30s taking care of her grandmother’s flock for the day, says sculptor Oreland C. Joe Sr. [swa may 99]. “Girls back thenhad responsibilities, and one was to herd sheep.” Joe says that because his own Native American heritage is rich with stories, he has a steady supply of images to choosefrom. “I constantly sketch ideas for sculptures, whether I’m riding in a car or flying on a plane,” he says. “I probably have more than 200 drawings in my files—the sketch for Little Shepherd had been around for a while before I saw a stone that I thought would be perfect for it.” Joe buys three or four tons of stone at a time. When new stone arrives and he begins to examine it, he can see the images emerge from it in his mind. Joe was elected to the CAA in 1993 and won the gold award forsculpture in 1997. He lives in New Mexico and is represented by Wadle Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; Legacy Galleries, Jackson, WY, and Scottsdale, AZ; Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ; Mountain Trails Galleries, Sedona, AZ; and Altermann & Morris Galleries, Dallas and Houston, TX. —MB
Real Cowboys Eat Cowboy Chow, oil, 24 x 30. |
· Ray Swanson ·
Whether traveling the globe painting Nepalese rice farmers and Eskimo fishermen or observing Native American and ranch life closer to his home in Arizona, Ray Swanson[swa mar 90] is inspired by humanity. “Most of my ideas for paintings are spurred by real people and incidents,” he says. Of his new work Real Cowboys Eat Cowboy Chow, Swanson says with a chuckle, “I saw this little boy hanging around a chuck wagon. You could tell he wanted to be a cowboy and had all the trappings of one, but he was reluctant to eat real cowboy food.” Swanson has been a member of the CAA since 1986 and has won numerous awards at their annual shows. He is also a signature member of the American Watercolor Society. Swanson is represented by Pierce Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ; Trailside Galleries, Jackson, WY; and Claggett/Rey Gallery, Vail, CO. —MB
First Born, oil, 56 x 44. |
· Don Crowley ·
Tucson artist Don Crowley [swa may 86] has been painting the same family of Native Americans for more than 20 years, and in First Born he captured a milestone: the firstborn child with mother, who’s a young woman Crowley practically watched grow up on his canvases. The Apache woman and child are seen amidst a vibrant Arizona desert. “I really like the landscape itself, the colors,” he says of the painting. “It all centers around the yellow light coming through the cradleboard. It’s really about light as well as the subject itself.” As his eye has matured, Crowley has begun to incorporate more of the background and landscape into his work. His style, he says, has also loosened technically. “I’m not as eager to paint every blade of grass as when I was younger and could see every blade of glass,” he says with a laugh. Crowley is represented by Ray Tracey Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; Husberg Fine Arts, Scottsdale, AZ; and Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ. —LB
Wuwuchim Ceremony, watercolor, 26 x 39. |
· David Halbach ·
“This painting represents the fourth day of the Hopi wuwuchim ceremony when the pahos, or prayer sticks, are taken to their proper shrines and the crier chief announces the cer-emony,” says California artist David Halbach. In the Hopi language, wu means to germinate and chim means to manifest; the word wuwuchim refers to the three phases of creation—plant, animal, and human. The wuwuchim ceremony reflects the emphasis on reproduction—of people, corn, and other things—that pervades the Hopi culture. Halbach [swa sep 95] paints a variety of Native American subjects, from Plains tribes to the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest. His work also depicts the historic West and the relationship of cultures confronting one another on the frontier. He began concentrating on fine art in 1965 after spending years working at Disney Studios, running his own Los Angeles advertising agency, and teaching adult art classes. Halbach joined the Cowboy Artists of America in 1985 and is currently the only member painting exclusively in watercolors. He is represented by Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ; Claggett/Rey Gallery, Vail, CO; and Taminah Gallery, Park City, UT. —KB
The Gift of Love, oil, 40 x 32. |
· Loren Entz ·
When Loren Entz set out to paint The Gift of Love, he had a particular memory in mind: the first time he ever held his daughter, his firstborn child. “I wanted to convey the emotional bond I felt for my child at that very moment,” says the Montana painter. At the time he was working as a cowboy and painting on the side. What Entz [swa dec 92] particularly wanted to capture was the way this soft, dependent newborn touches the rugged, browbeaten cowboy. “This man is used to hardship,” he says, “but here he is so tender with this little baby.” Entz is known for his vivid depictions of early life in the West. The Price of a Bride, another work in this year’s show, is a large charcoal drawing of a young Native American man bringing horses to his love’s father in exchange for the young maiden’s hand in marriage. Entz is represented by Claggett/Rey Gallery, Vail, CO; Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, NM; and Trailside Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, and Jackson, WY. —LB
Featured in “Portfolio” October 1999