Cheyenne Frontier Days Art Show & Sale
Cheyenne, WY
The Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show & Sale is an art invitational featuring notable Western artists across the country presenting original works. Over the course of nearly four decades, this annual event has grown into the museum’s largest fundraiser for arts education, exhibits and collections, celebrating the history and cultural vibrancy of the American West. With the opening reception kicking off on Thursday, July 19, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Art Show runs through August 19. The opening reception features a glimpse of the Carriage Hall, which will be filled with exclusive artwork not previously available to the public.
Artists taking part this year include Gail Jones Sundell, Brandon Bailey, Sabrina Stiles, Guadalupe Barajas, Matthew Wolf and Margaret Graziano, among others.
Stiles, a newcomer this year, says Cheyenne Frontier Days is the quintessential Western experience, from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo to “Frontier Nights,” which features the biggest stars in country music. “Cheyenne is a small town with a big heart,” says Stiles. “Having been selected to show my work alongside such an amazingly talented group of artists is a bit like winning the lottery. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.” One of Stiles’ pieces, a pastel titled Autumn Radiance, depicts a small creek surrounded by muted-yellow cottonwoods. “There’s something magical about these wide open spaces and the light that I can’t seem to get enough of. I’m always trying to get
my feeling for these places down in two dimensional forms. It’s a little like writing poetry with paint I suppose,” she says. Stiles explains that having revisited this theme often, she is more easily able to experiment with elements like varying color harmony, composition and technique. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Art Show breathes life into the Old West, while simultaneously illustrating scenes of contemporary Western culture, says Sundell. “I grew up listening to my dad’s stories of his experiences of his early life growing up near the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservations in Oklahoma,” she says. “Some of my favorite paintings of his were of dignified older men who led their tribes through some very trying times.” The sculptor’s piece One Last Stand, carved from Colorado alabaster, depicts a proud warrior readying for a battle with an enemy warrior society.
Bailey’s oil painting Moonlit Reflections shows two cowboys sitting near a fire during a quiet night, illuminated by the light of the moon and the modest flames. “I always enjoy that time of night where the world stands still, and the only sounds to [be] heard are the crackle of a fire or the distant howl of a coyote. It always seems like the best time to ponder and reflect is under the glow of a moon,” he says.
Dozens of other artists will be in attendance this year to celebrate and showcase Western art.