Show Preview | Small Works, Great Wonders

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
November 4-26

The 18th annual Small Works, Great Wonders art sale at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum will include traditional and contemporary artwork from 131 artists. Many of the artists have participated in previous years, and some have also been featured in the museum’s celebrated Prix de West invitational. Small Works, Great Wonders, known for featuring small-scale works at affordable prices, will include subjects like classic landscapes and, of course, cowboys.

Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey, Blue Moon, dye on silk, 10 x 12.

The 2023 exhibition opens November 4, but the main sale happens November 10 when collectors will be treated to live music, hors d’oeuvres and refreshments during the fixed-price draw. Patrons who are selected to purchase artwork will be able to leave with art in hand at the end of the night. Proxy services may also be arranged for those who are unable to attend the festivities in person.

Josh Elliott, Glacier, oil, 12 x 16.

“Small Works, Great Wonders is one of the most exciting events of the year,” says Susan Patterson, the museum’s curator of special exhibits, in a press release. “Designed for both new and seasoned art collectors, the 2023 art sale will feature more than 240 works of art in a high energy, festive atmosphere.” Proceeds from the sale benefit the museum’s dynamic educational programs.

Carol Amos, Sunny Simplicity, oil on canvas, 16 x 12.

Artists participating in this year’s show will include Nick Berry, Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey, Josh Elliott, Denis Milhomme and Don Weller, among many others. Artwork available includes Elliott’s small-scale GLACIER painting; Weller’s rich watercolor style in CATCHING A RIDE; and Cawdrey’s horse portrait BLUE MOON that was created with dye on silk.

Don Weller, Catching a Ride, watercolor, 13 x 18.5.

Carol Amos, known for her signature Western flora paintings, will present SUNNY SIMPLICITY, which features a blooming prickly pear cactus against rosy clouds. The work emphasizes the drama between sun and shadow on vibrant blooms and juxtaposes translucent, delicate flowers with formidable defensive spines.

Mark Kohler, And the Maguey Flows Like Water, watercolor, 13.75 x 10.

Another painting for the show, Mark Kohler’s AND THE MAGUEY FLOWS LIKE WATER, depicts a charro, or ranchero, in distinctive traditionally patterned boots and a sombrero while turned in mid-lasso. Kohler’s dynamic figures provide intimate glimpses into the muscle and grace of horse riding in the West, and the blinding sunlight playing off this charro sears the viewer with heat and brilliance.