CAA: Back on the Trail
After a hugely successful 2019 annual show, the Cowboy Artists of America returns to Arizona with a miniature exhibition.
The last time the Cowboy Artists of America made work available to purchase in Arizona was 2010. Since then the CA has held shows in Oklahoma and recently, to great acclaim, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Meanwhile, Arizona waited in the wings, ever so patiently.
A decade later, the Grand Canyon State will once again play host to a sale and exhibition for the famed group of Western artists when Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West presents The Gathering: Cowboy Artists of America Annual Western Miniatures Show and Sale on April 2. The miniature sale will feature artwork from the majority of the current members, as well as art from some of the emeritus members.
The Cowboy Artists of America have had a long and storied history, with much of it originating and taking place in Arizona. It was in Oak Creek Tavern in Sedona where Joe Beeler, Charlie Dye, John Hampton and George Phippen devised the concept of the CA on June 23, 1965. Within days, they met again, this time with Fred Harman, to iron out the bylaws and name the group. They rode and roped in Arizona, held trail rides on Arizona ranches and, starting the 1974, held an annual art exhibition and sale at the Phoenix Art Museum. That show lasted there for 37 years before moving to Oklahoma, and then to Texas in 2019. Western Spirit did host a special CA retrospective in 2015 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the group, but no works were for sale.
“Ever since the CA’S 50th anniversary, we’ve wanted to have the group return. We talked then about getting them back to Arizona, and maybe it could be a sale, but nothing came to be,” says Western Spirit assistant director Tricia Loscher. “We started meeting again in 2017, when Martin Grelle was the president, and we really began to discuss what kind of show it could be. We knew we didn’t want to compete with the big annual event in the fall, so we came up with this miniature show. So this is our celebratory inaugural show.”
Loscher adds, “We are thrilled to be showing the CA once again, and this time all of the work will be for sale, which is even better.”
The artists participating in the show will be allowed to submit up to three works, though none of the works can be larger than 14 by 18 inches. Although miniature shows present smaller works, that usually means smaller prices, which is a hook for new and aspiring collectors, as well as veteran collectors who may want to purchase one for a gift or for a unique spot within their own collection. All of the works will be sold at a fixed-price, by-draw sale starting at 6 p.m. on April 2. The date of the
show was chosen to coincide with the Scottsdale Art Auction, which will be offering a number of works from CA artists.
The Gathering: Cowboy Artists of America Annual Western Miniatures Show and Sale opens March 31 at Western Spirit in Scottsdale. It hangs through April 5. The reception and sale will be held April 2 starting at 6 p.m. Prior to the sale, at 11 a.m., there will be a panel discussion titled “CAA: Perspectives.” It will focus on the influence of the CA and its reach across the Western art world. CA artists will participate, as will Western Art Collector editor Joshua Rose.
Works in the show include new watercolors from current CA president Teal Blake, a new oil painting from John Coleman, a mixture of bronze and paintings from Harold T. Holden, classic cowboy scenes from Tom Browning, and new bronzes from both Bill Nebeker, the longest-serving active member, and Fred Fellows, the longestserving emeritus member. Newer artists will also be showing work: C. Michael Dudash, Tyler Crow, Chad Poppleton, Mikel Donahue and Phil Epp, who has painted a purple- and pink-hued dusk scene with several horses on a rain-swept hill.