This spring, auction houses offered works by living artists and historic greats in a wonderful showcase of diverse talents depicting the spirit, landscapes, and stories of the West. The results demonstrate an abundant legacy of beauty, and sales figures suggest an enduring affection for the...
Up-and-coming artists can sell their work online, but what about that pivotal career moment of pursuing gallery representation? “Galleries are the king- and queen-makers,” says Nikki Todd, owner of Visions West Contemporary, a gallery with three locations in Bozeman and Livingston, Montana, and Denver, Colorado. “I...
Artists may create meaningful work, but it only makes an impact if they are willing to share it with others. Creativity cannot exist in a vacuum, and giving away one’s inner world takes bravery. Many have learned, however, that it’s worth persevering through self-doubt because that...
When American Cheyenne politician Ben Nighthorse Campbell reported for duty to the 100th U.S. Congress in 1987, he confesses that he rode into Washington, D.C., on a Harley Davidson, his long hair gathered into a braid trailing down his back. This illustrious entrance was an appropriate...
In her work, Beth Loftin celebrates the people and places of the Great Plains where she grew up and lives today. Loftin’s paintings evoke times past and endow them with vibrant new life through her richly saturated palette. “I think my style might best be...
Within the first 10 minutes of the 2023 Masters of the American West exhibition at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles, artist Tony Abeyta sold all of his paintings. This sounds remarkable, but it is, in fact, a typical experience for the artist at this and...
Regard a painting by Laurie Lee for even a moment, and a stirring soundtrack from the era of classic Western films might come to mind. Highway to the Sun, destined for this September’s Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale in Cody, Wyoming, could well conjure...
Early in his career, R.C. Gorman was staying at the Safari Hotel in downtown Scottsdale, Arizona, before the opening of his solo show at a nearby gallery when he realized there was nothing in the hotel lobby advertising the show. He called his teenage cousin...
Paul Lewing, whose glazed ceramic tile art has long been appreciated in private residential settings such as home bathrooms and kitchens, debuts as a public artist this September 25 through 30. That’s when, during homecoming weekend for his alma mater, the University of Montana in...
Tyrel Johnson might best be described as a poet in bronze, using sculpture to express deep, complex meanings through art. His Undivided Love, for example, captures the deep human-equine bond by portraying a young woman and a horse, each leaning into the other across a...