The Wild West on Canvas!


"Men of the Open Range" by Charles M. Russell

I love art that depicts the wild west. Cowboys, saloons, stagecoaches, frontier families, wagon trains...it all makes my imagination soar. 

There are a number of artists whose paintings and artwork give us glimpse into what life looked like back when the west was being settled. One of those was Charles M. Russell, who painted over 2,000 images of life back then. 

He not only painted the west, he settled there. He made his home in Montana, where he lived until his death in 1926. He's called Montana's "patron saint" and is so well loved that Montana PBS produced a documentary of his life and work.  

At the time of his passing, Russell had the distinction of being the highest-paid artist in America. Not bad for a guy who spent his life showing the rough-and-tumble ways of early western settlers! 

Despite being an artist who portrayed some harsh conditions with gritty realism, he had a soft side. Russell and his wife were, by all accounts, quite a pair of lovebirds. 

Cowboys. Art. Sweeping vistas. Romance. Really, what's not to love? 

“She lives for tomorrow and I live for yesterday.”--Charlie Russell, about his wife, Nancy

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