The Cowboy Artists of America (CAA) is an exclusive organization of artists that was founded in 1965. It was founded in 1965 by four prominent western artists,

Joe Beeler Joe Neil Beeler (1931–2006) was an American illustrator, artist and sculptor specializing in the field of Western art. In 1965, he cofounded the Cowboy Artists of America (CAA) with Charlie Dye, John Hampton and George Phippen. Personal i ...

, Charlie Dye, John Hampton and

George Phippen George Phippen (July 11, 1915 – April 13, 1966) was an American sculptor and painter from Arizona. He was the co-founder and first president of the Cowboy Artists of America. He is the namesake of the Phippen Museum in Prescott, Arizona. Early ...

, who have all since died. Since its inception, the exclusive organization of artists has always been dedicated to portraying the lifestyles of the cowboy and the American West, both as it was and as it endures. The CAA was founded in 1965 in

Sedona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and held its first art show in 1966 at the

Cowboy Hall of Fame The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Ame ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, Oklahoma. In 1973, the annual event moved to the

Phoenix Art Museum The Phoenix Art Museum is the largest museum for visual art in the southwest United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the museum is . It displays international exhibitions alongside its comprehensive collection of more than 18,000 works of ...

. In April 2011, the museum announced that it would no longer host the event. In 2015, the CAA's 50th anniversary exhibition was to be held at the Scottsdale Museum of the West in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

. The artists' works, highly sought after by western collectors, often fetch high prices. As an example,

Howard Terpning Howard Terpning (born November 5, 1927) is an American painter and illustrator best known for his paintings of Native Americans. Life and career Terpning was born in Oak Park, Illinois. His mother was an interior decorator, and his father worke ...

's ''Cooling Off the Hard Way'' sold for $305,000 at the 2003 Santa Fe Art Auction.

Members

As of 2015, the CAA had cumulatively had 77 artists as members. Notable members have included: *

(1931-2006) *Charlie Dye *

Phil Epp Phil Epp, born August 28, 1946, in Henderson, Nebraska, is an American artist known for his paintings, murals, prints and sculpture. Much of his work takes is inspiration from the cloudscapes and landscapes of Kansas and the American Southwest. L ...

*John Hampton *

*Tom RyanA former president of the CAA *Gordon SnidowA former president of the CAA *William Moyers * U. Grant Speed *James Boren *Fred Fellows *James Reynolds *Harvey W. Johnson *Bill Owen *

*Gary Carter * Frank McCarthy *Gary Niblett * Clark Kelley Price

Notes

References

External links

Cowboy Artists of America
American artist groups and collectives Artists of the American West Arts organizations established in 1965 1965 establishments in the United States {{US-arts-org-stub