The Timeless West

Where does your mind take you when you hear The West? Do you think of the mythical West that has deep roots in the American imagination? Or maybe you think of the historic West? 

Do you think of Native American tribes, following enormous herds of buffalo? Do you imagine the lives of those pushing West, pushing the edge of their known civilization? Are you drawn to the lives of early explorers and settlers as they traveled the Oregon Trail, crossing the plains and mountain ranges? Or ranchers and cowboys making a new life far from family and friends? 

Are your thoughts fueled by Mark Twain's colorful accounts of gold strikes or the popular Western frontier stories of Louis L'Amour? Do you see Hollywood stars of times past, galloping across the screen?

Several Sorrel Sky artists live, explore, and work in the West. They are inspired and influenced — by past and current experiences, by their own history and shared history, by light and shadow, by memories and imagination. Their styles and Western subject matter clearly reflect an enduring love of a culture and way of life that they have personally experienced. This day-to-day interaction with their environment is evident in the authenticity and timeless nature of their art. Here's a look at how just a few of our artists have expressed the West in their chosen medium.

Jim Rey has been a professional painter for over five decades. His authentic portrayal of ranching life and the West comes from his memories as a cowboy, from spending time on working ranches and exploring new landscape locations. Having "cowboyed" for years while painting, his subject matter comes naturally to him Although well-known as a representational painter, when composing a new painting Jim thinks abstractly, contemplating shapes, colors, and balance. To keep his work fresh, he rises early each day to practice drawing and sketching, often on a tablet with a digital stylus. Jim creates in a range of sizes, from vignettes, which he refers to as “little gems,” to larger, oversized pieces.

In November 2024, Jim received an award of a lifetime from the Cowboy Artists of America. Founded in 1965, the Cowboy Artists of America is an elite organization whose mission is, “To authentically preserve and perpetuate the culture of Western life in fine art.” Its legacy, spanning over fifty years, has defined art markets and careers, created masterpieces and legends, enjoyed prosperity and fame, and endured criticism and controversy. As one of the longest-surviving organizations of fine art artists, the Cowboy Artists of America has secured a place in American history.

Star Liana York found herself drawn to the Western mythology found in books and movies of her generation. At an early age, the desire to live that life moved her to buy a horse with money she earned babysitting, work at a stable to cover the horse’s board, and start competing in rodeos. The excitement of learning about the dynamics of riding and relating to horses led her to pursue what became a lifelong passion, and in turn, fueled Star’s creativity. Ever the avid horsewoman, she rides daily on her ranch in New Mexico, often working her horses and dogs with her small herd of cattle. 

Hadley Rampton's work rests somewhere between abstraction and realism. Her paintings are an amalgamation of her love of composition, color, mark-making, and being present in the outdoors, in the West. She prefers to work onsite where she "not only sees the scene, but feels its light, weather, and mood. In plein air painting, there is an immediacy that takes hold and guides the process." Rampton grabs hold of that energy but also combines it with a more contemplative studio approach. Painting with a palette knife using bold strokes, she breaks her subject matter down into simplified form, composed of value and color.

Marlin Rotach was introduced to the art of Remington, Russell, and Will James by his father. These beginnings instilled an interest in fine art, art history, and a passion for the American West. His artistic influences range from Caravaggio to Frank Tenney Johnson. When thinking of the artists he has most admired throughout history, they all had one common thread: they created dramatic impact in their works through a profound understanding of light. Like his artistic heroes, Rotach's images are primarily concerned with the various qualities of light and shadow. The transparent aspect of watercolor particularly suits his purposes...shadowed underpainting, transparent glazes, salt washes, scraping, and bruising the paper.