We are a little over a week away from celebrating the 5th Annual Cowboy Festival and Symposium! As the countdown continues, here is some more information about this year's featured artist, William Matthews.
Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, William Matthews, an American watercolorist, received his formal art training at the San Francisco Art Institute. After graduation, he spent several years designing and illustrating album covers for major record labels in Los Angeles. The artist soon developed a case of wanderlust, however, and headed out for Europe.
Matthews returned to the United States in 1980 to run a graphic design business as well as to pursue a fine art career.
A major turning point in his career came in 1985 when he visited the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev. It was there he first encountered the cowboys of the Great Basin.
To Matthews, these cowboys, living a hard life and earning little more than the satisfaction of knowing they have done a good job, are among the few remnants of the true American spirit. He paints these hearty souls as they are, struggling against the elements, not romanticized or glamorized. He generally shields their faces, or gives the viewer only a sideways glance at the subject.
"I prefer mystery," said Matthews, "I don't want to paint someone straight on. I don't want to tell the whole story."
Matthews' paintings are part of the permanent collections of the museums nationwide including: the Museum of the American West (Autry National Center), Los Angeles, Calif.; the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyo.; the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colo.; Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Okla.; Joslyn Museum, Omaha, Neb.; Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, Ariz.; and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Ind.
The Booth Western Art Museum owns two of Matthews's paintings, El Charro and Kingfisher, both acquired in October of 2000, around the time ground was broken for the museum.
While Matthews credits some contemporary artists such as George Carlson with influencing his career, it is the work of 19th century British watercolor painters and American artists such as John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer that most powerfully informs his artistry.
Despite these varied influences, Matthews' work remains unique in an ever more crowded Western art landscape. Less consumed by detail and narrative than many artists, his work presents a true picture of life on the range through atmosphere, minimalist surroundings and limited use of color.
Matthews has also built his reputation on more than just paintings of Western scenes. He is also known for his painted landscapes.
Among Matthews' career highlights was his selection by the United States Postal Service to create a painting of Canyon de Chelly for use on a postcard in 1994. He also supplied original artwork for the Pulitzer Prize winning book Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx, from which the movie Brokeback Mountain was drawn. Proulx returns the favor in the new book : William Matthews: Working the West by providing an essay that sheds light on both ranching and the art-making life.
As the festival's featured artist, guests will be able to meet and learn from this talented artist throughout the weekend at the following events:
Matthews will present a lecture on his artistic style and career highlights in the Booth Theatre on Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. Following the lecture, Matthews will be available to sign copies of the official Festival & Symposium poster and his new book in the Museum Store.
An artist's workshop led by Matthews will be held Friday, October 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Booth Museum. The cost is $100 for members and $150 for not-yet-members. There is a limited class size so call 770-607-3686 for reservations and/or more information.
Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, William Matthews, an American watercolorist, received his formal art training at the San Francisco Art Institute. After graduation, he spent several years designing and illustrating album covers for major record labels in Los Angeles. The artist soon developed a case of wanderlust, however, and headed out for Europe.
Matthews returned to the United States in 1980 to run a graphic design business as well as to pursue a fine art career.
A major turning point in his career came in 1985 when he visited the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev. It was there he first encountered the cowboys of the Great Basin.
To Matthews, these cowboys, living a hard life and earning little more than the satisfaction of knowing they have done a good job, are among the few remnants of the true American spirit. He paints these hearty souls as they are, struggling against the elements, not romanticized or glamorized. He generally shields their faces, or gives the viewer only a sideways glance at the subject.
"I prefer mystery," said Matthews, "I don't want to paint someone straight on. I don't want to tell the whole story."
Matthews' paintings are part of the permanent collections of the museums nationwide including: the Museum of the American West (Autry National Center), Los Angeles, Calif.; the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyo.; the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colo.; Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Okla.; Joslyn Museum, Omaha, Neb.; Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, Ariz.; and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Ind.
The Booth Western Art Museum owns two of Matthews's paintings, El Charro and Kingfisher, both acquired in October of 2000, around the time ground was broken for the museum.
While Matthews credits some contemporary artists such as George Carlson with influencing his career, it is the work of 19th century British watercolor painters and American artists such as John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer that most powerfully informs his artistry.
Despite these varied influences, Matthews' work remains unique in an ever more crowded Western art landscape. Less consumed by detail and narrative than many artists, his work presents a true picture of life on the range through atmosphere, minimalist surroundings and limited use of color.
Matthews has also built his reputation on more than just paintings of Western scenes. He is also known for his painted landscapes.
Among Matthews' career highlights was his selection by the United States Postal Service to create a painting of Canyon de Chelly for use on a postcard in 1994. He also supplied original artwork for the Pulitzer Prize winning book Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx, from which the movie Brokeback Mountain was drawn. Proulx returns the favor in the new book : William Matthews: Working the West by providing an essay that sheds light on both ranching and the art-making life.
As the festival's featured artist, guests will be able to meet and learn from this talented artist throughout the weekend at the following events:
Matthews will present a lecture on his artistic style and career highlights in the Booth Theatre on Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. Following the lecture, Matthews will be available to sign copies of the official Festival & Symposium poster and his new book in the Museum Store.
An artist's workshop led by Matthews will be held Friday, October 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Booth Museum. The cost is $100 for members and $150 for not-yet-members. There is a limited class size so call 770-607-3686 for reservations and/or more information.
The next Artist Workshop will feature painter William Matthews on Friday, October 26. For more information on how you can sign up to participate in this day long Plein air painting workshop, contact Darlene Gunn at 770-607-3686 or visit 
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