Bosque Art Classic
Clifton, TX
Each year, the Bosque Art Classic gives Western art collectors a playground with which to explore and purchase new art by some of the best artists working in the Western genre today. The juried exhibition and sale, now in its 34th year, will offer more than 230 original works from 136 artists from across the country. The judge for the 2019 event is celebrated Native American sculptor Oreland Joe.
Veterans to the show and sale who will be in attendance this year include Matt Atkinson, Herman Walker, Kathy Tate, Susan Temple Neumann and Pokey Park, as well as several artists new to the Bosque Art Classic, such as Cheryl Harley-volz and Ezra Tucker. Other artists in the 2019 show include Jeff Rechin, Tony Armendariz, Tammy Bowers, Tim Harmon, Mary Lou Pape, Don Weller, Larry Winborg, Jing Zhao and more.
Tucker brings an acrylic on board aptly titled Red Fox Portrait depicting a closely cropped shot of a handsome red fox against a backdrop of vivid brushstrokes. “I enjoy painting this magnificent carnivore that is commonly called red fox. Whenever I paint this critter, I endeavor to capture the
personality and intelligence I see in its eyes. They are notorious, resourceful, flexible and extremely intelligent…they are incredibly widespread and prominent in mythology around the world throughout cultures in areas where foxes are commonly found,” says the artist.
“I’ve watched the amazing art represented in the Bosque Classic for a few years now, choosing to wait to enter until I felt ‘ready.’ I finally entered this year, and it looks like I was ready,” says Harley-volz, who brings two graphite drawings of cattle, All My Ex’s and San Antonio Rosie.
“I still identify primarily as an oil painter, but this year my work in the Bosque Classic
is entirely graphite and charcoal drawing,” says Atkinson. One of his pieces in the show, Cheyenne Water Carriers, is a scene Atkinson originally photographed along Grasshopper Creek in Montana. “I worked with these two incredible models, both from traditional Native families, and keen-eyed attendees of the Bosque show will recognize them,” he says. “I had an oil painting of them collecting medicinal plants in the show two years ago, too. I used a lot of watered graphite to create the stream and the shadows on their faces and dresses, and then I used a scratch tool and mechanical eraser to draw in the tall grasses along the creek.”
Rechin’s Pursuit is a life-size falcon sculpted from basswood and tupelo and painted in acrylic. “They’re a real powerhouse for as small of a falcon as they are,” he says of the piece. “I wanted to capture the speed of this small, powerful falcon.” Vantage Point brings to life a true-to-size belted kingfisher painted with acrylic and sculpted from tupelo wood.
A special preview awards ceremony and dinner will be held on September 14, and the show will remain on view from September 15 to 28.