We all understand that the act of creation is a vital way for artists to express their feelings and thoughts about the world. Collectors also know that displaying art serves as a means of self-expression. The artwork we have on view in our homes can...
“I can’t imagine living without art; it enhances our lives,” says William Winn of Denver, Colorado. He and his wife, Kathryn, caught the collecting bug in a big way on their 25th anniversary in 1981. While visiting the Pam Driscoll Gallery, and just before their...
Prices for Western works, from paintings to sculptures to a variety of other media, achieved pleasing heights in late winter and early spring, leading to an air of optimism among auction organizers, gallerists, and collectors. The feeling is bound to rub off on artists, especially...
Hollis Chitto’s beaded bag Bloodwork Number 2 might at first appear to be a beautiful piece of traditional American Indian art, its symmetrical design, bold colors, nature motifs, and painstaking handwork expressing centuries of heritage. However, a closer examination of the front panel reveals the...
Many of Sophy Brown’s recent works offer a deeply personal spin on the concept of the vanishing West. In Dueto Americano, for example, she realistically renders a Mexican-American cowboy on horseback in acrylics on a large-scale surface. Yet, all around the duo, abstract swirls, splashes,...
Plein air artist W. Truman Hosner does not hesitate when asked to explain why pastels are his medium of choice. “From the youngest age,” he says, “the one thing that always delighted me was color. And pastel is pure color. When you’re a painter working...
When Al Boswell came across his late father’s pocket watch a few years ago, he realized he had to create something special so its significance would not be lost. His dad, who had a “very small, very rocky dairy farm in southwest Missouri” where Al...
The siding on the building that houses Kevin Red Star’s studio is burnished wood, giving it the look of an old weathered barn. Unassuming. Natural. Two words that could easily apply to Red Star himself, despite his reputation as one of the most highly respected...
When the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco was badly damaged by fire following the deadly earthquake of 1906, architect and engineer Julia Morgan was hired to design and oversee the building’s restoration. Known for her hands-on approach, the 34-year-old architect arrived early on the first...
When The Sea Ranch Lodge, overlooking the ocean in northern Sonoma County, reopened last October after a three-year-long renovation, the occasion represented not merely the return of a Western landmark. It also served as a stirring recommitment to a California enclave like none other. Stretching...