WESTERN ARTISTS AND WRITERS - ORIGINAL ART SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: OLAF WIEGHORST, STAN LYNDE, JOE BOEHLER, BRANSON G. STEVENSON, REX RIEKE, ARNOLD FRIBERG, J.K. RALSTON, NORMAN STRUNG, EARL MURRAY, KEN SOWELL, JOE BEELER, SHERYL BODILY, ACE POWELL, JESSE LAIR, WEBB PEPION, ROBERT SCRIVER, DAVE CROWELL, ROBERTA DONAVAN, EARL EDER, DAN BULL PLUME, SHORTY SHOPE - HFSID 289631

WESTERN ARTISTS AND WRITERS: OLAF WIEGHORST, EARL EDER, JOE BOEHLER, STAN LYNDE, J. K. RALSTON and MANY OTHERS
34x35½ buckskin, signed by an impressive collection of Western artists in the 1970s, triple matted and custom framed for display. Some of the artists have added drawings in a Native American theme. Many signers have strong connections with the State of Montana and the Blackfoot Nation.
Original Art signed: Buckskin bearing nearly 100 signatures. An unknown artist has drawn a large teepee in the center of the buckskin. Many of the signers have embellished their autograph with Western-themed drawings (teepees, horse heads, cattle brands, etc.). Some have dated their signatures, with the range of dates extending from 1970 to 1977. Many of the signers have a close connection with the state of Montana. The signers include the following: OLAF WIEGHORST (1899-1988), born in Jutland, Denmark, is best known for his poignant portrayals of the American West. Wieghorst's paintings have sold for more than $450,000. and his signed Lithographs for up to $12,000. His most famous work, Native Madonna, was published as a lithograph in 1972. Sioux painter and sculptor EARL EDER (b. 1944) has been a key figure in contemporary Indian art since the 1960s. His works are included in the collections of many museums, and of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington. JOE BEELER (1931-2006) was a Western-themed sculptor and painter. In 1965, he co-founded the Cowboy Artists of America. Beeler died at age 74, stricken by a heart attack while roping and branding calves. JOSEPH "JOE" BOEHLER has won many awards for his watercolors and was elected to the National Academy of Western Art. His painting of Western film star Tex Ritter and his horse White Flash hangs in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, Oklahoma City. Painter, etcher and sculptor ACE POWELL (1912-1978), raised on the Blackfoot Reservation, employed Indian, cowboy and horse imagery. His memoir, The Ace of Diamonds (his logo) was published in 1965. Montana artist SHORTY SHOPE (1900-1978) was a working cowboy while studying art by correspondence. His first painting exhibition, oils reflecting his cowboy life, was held in 1925. SHERYL BODILY (b. 1936) found his childhood interest in Native American cultures enhanced during his years as an LDS missionary in Texas and New Mexico. "Discovered" at an art auction in Great Falls, Montana in 1970, Bodily afterwards had trouble keeping up with the demand for his Western themed oil paintings and watercolors. STAN LYNDE (1931-2013), a fourth generation Montanan, is the author of 7 novels to date featuring Deputy US Marshal Merlin Fenshaw, including To Kill a Copper King. He is also a cartoonist, having written and drawn the strips Rick O'Shay and Latigo. EARL MURRAY (1950-2003) wrote Western historical fiction and also several collections of Ghosts of the Old West, many of the accounts from Indian legends. NORMAN STRUNG (1941-1991), professor of English at Montana State and associate editor of Field & Stream magazine, was also a licensed hunting and fishing guide. He contributed articles to many periodicals and at least 15 anthologies, including To Catch a Trout and The Art of Hunting. ARNOLD FRIBERG (1913-2010) is the only US citizen to be an honorary member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, to honor his paintings of Mounties. He was commissioned to paint many scenes from the Book of Mormon, while his saloon paintings hang in the Golden Nugget, Las Vegas. Not exclusively a Western-themed painter, he also painted Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and his most famous work, The Prayer at Valley Forge. J. K. RALSTON (1896-1987) was a painter of cowboy and Indian themes. A gold medalist at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Ralston has works exhibited at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, among other sites. REX RIEKE was a nightclub pianist and curator of the Montana Historical Society Museum before turning to art full time in 1986. His oils and watercolors emphasize Western themes. KEN SOWELL, another Western artist working in oils, has painted such portrayals of Native Americans as Medicine Man and Moving Camp. Western artist BRANSON GRAVES STEVENSON (1901-1989) worked in many mediums, but his favorite were etchings and ceramics. He was a prolific and successful artist, despite pursuing a full-time career as a business executive with oil drilling and other firms. He designed bond sale art for both World Wars. He called his Night Around the Roundhouse his favorite etching. ROBERT SCRIVER (1914-1999), originally a taxidermist, began sculpting small animals, and moved on to heroic bronzes. A serious student of Blackfoot history and culture, many of his works on that culture are pictured in the book No More Buffalo . Scriver was commissioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association to cast bronze statues of rodeo heroes, beginning with Bill Linderman. Perhaps his most famous work, the larger than life "An Honest Try" portraying a bullrider, stands in Kansas City. DAN BULL PLUME (b. 1879) was a respected elder of the Blackfoot nation, an expert on traditional dance and ceremony. WEBB PEPION (91 years old in 2010) is a Western artist living on his ranch in rural Montana. DAVE CROWELL self-published Montana's Own (1970), a catalog of Montana artists, providing a photo of each artist, a photo of his work, and a brief description of it. JESSE LAIR (1923-2000), a former ad executive and psychologist, was the author of 12 self-help books, including the best-selling I Ain't Much Baby - But I'm All I Got (1970). That same year, he was voted the Outstanding Professor at Montana State University. ROBERTA DONAVAN wrote a history of Lewistown, Montana titled The First 100 Years. An admirer of contemporary Western art and artists should enjoy exploring this fascinating buckskin. There are certainly more discoveries waiting here. Some signatures illegible. Some signatures faded (still legible). Otherwise, fine condition. Not framed in the Gallery of History style.