Do you enjoy western movies as I do. Actually I enjoy all movies! Russ Vickers gained national attention for his paintings of the Old West that were featured in the movie Chisum featuring John Wayne. Below is the opening credits from the movie and we get an opportunity to see many works from with both far away and close views.
Price range information: Lithographs can be found for a few hundred dollars to $2000. Vickers was primarily an oil painter, and a prolific one, with prices ranging from $2,000 to $33,000.
Russ Vickers is my favorite when it comes to seeing breath taking works of art on very small scales. The artist worked on large pieces but if you ever see his works in person its amazing the detail and the great compositions that the artist used in rendering this small majestic jewels of art. Great design and composition by the artist painting small groups of cowboys and indians in the heart of the American Old West.
Vickers was born to a horse trader in Paris, Texas in the year 1923.
Worked as an illustrator in the aerospace industry for twenty years. He was based out of Los Angeles, California.
Vickers was part of the marines in World War II. He was also a combat artist in the Korean War.
Do you remember answering those ads for correspondence courses where you could learn to draw? I remember entering one by drawing a landscape. Vickers passed the Famous Artists School Correspondence Course and soon after finishing began showing his works in Sedona, Arizona.
I encourage you if you visit Denver to travel to Boulder, Colorado and visit the Leaning Tree Museum of Western Art where you can see three of the artists magnificent small small paintings. They are incredible for the detail found in the landscape and the people. At the musuem it says the artist tried to finish three of these smaller scale studies in one month in addition to his paid illustration duties.
The Museum is located in Gunbarrell and you can see such famous artists as Vickers, Wilson Hurley, Bob Kuhn, Larry Fanning, and Joseph LaRusso. Below is a great painting by another artist featured at this gallery, Arnold Friberg. Friberg illustrated the Book of Mormon. His works are also incredible for the detail and variety of textures found in trees and even clothing and moccasins. Friberg was also known for a series featuring the Western Mounties.
Vickers passed away in 1997 at the age of 74 years old.
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