Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, TX
November 4-5
Bruce Greene, Out of Nowhere, oil, 48 x 48.
One autumn day in November 1965, three cowboy artists from Arizona attended a cattle drive in Sonora, Mexico. They returned from the adventure feeling so inspired by ranch life and cowboy culture that they decided to form a group dedicated to preserving this tradition through representational art. That organization, the Cowboy Artists of America, is still going strong more than five decades later; in November it marks the 56th presentation of its annual exhibition and sale.
Membership in the CAA is by invitation only. Of the organization’s 17 active members and 15 emeritus members, approximately 25 are exhibiting new works in this year’s show, including Brandon Bailey, Wayne Baize, Teal Blake, Martin Grelle, Tom Browning, Tyler Crow, Bruce Greene, Clark Kelley Price, Grant Redden, and Jack Sorenson.
- Brandon Bailey, A Little Night Music, oil, 38 x 72.
- Bill Nebeker, The Measure of a Man, bronze, 36 x 15 x 16.
- C. Michael Dudash, A Journey Ends, a New Home Begins, oil, 40 x 54.
The event begins on the evening of Friday, November 4, with an exhibition preview at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. It continues on Saturday with a morning meet-and-greet and catalog autograph session with the exhibiting artists; a panel discussion, titled Stories From Around the Fire, at the nearby Amon Carter Museum; and a celebratory awards luncheon. Then it’s on to the main event in the evening, when over 100 works are sold in a fixed-price drawing. An online proxy option is also available.
- Phil Epp, The Long Road, oil, 30 x 40.
- Teal Blake, Sun and Dust, oil, 36 x 60.
- Mikel Donahue, Coffee ‘n’ Biscuit, mixed media, 24 x 15.
The participating artists are sure to turn out some of their best work for this prestigious show and sale, including drawings, paintings, and sculpture in a range of media, with styles and subjects that fit into the western-art milieu. This year the group is introducing a small-works sale as well, so collectors can expect a range of sizes and price points from which to choose.
Greene, a CAA member since 1993 and the organization’s current president, has been working on the annual exhibition and sale for decades and has seen a lot of fine western art grace the walls of the various host venues. He believes this year’s edition of the show is special for several reasons. “This is the first year we are officially partnering with the Fort Worth Stock Show—they have years of experience organizing and producing shows of this nature,” he says. “We are confident their expertise is going to elevate the attendees’ experience even more.”
- Tom Browning, Double Trouble, oil, 18 x 18.
- Chad Poppleton, All it Needs is a Coat of Paint, Honeybun, oil, 24 x 40.
- Clark Kelly Price, American Cowboy—Red, White and Blue Clear Through, oil, 24 x 30.
Greene is also particularly excited about the quality of the paintings and sculpture he has been privy to previewing. “I can say there’s going to be some really wonderful work in this year’s show,” he says. “Although viewing them on the screen doesn’t hold a candle to the way they look in real life, I can already tell that the artists are really stepping up to the challenge of submitting their very best work in the tradition of the CAA’s 57-year history.” —Allison Malafronte
contact information
817.877.2534
www.cowboyartistsofamerica.org
This story appeared in the October/November 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.