Bill Owen A Cowboy Artist of America

Bill Owen Art Masterpiece

Born 1942 in Gila Bend, ArizonaFather was a working cowboyMother was a artistLost his eye in a roping accidentAn actual COWBOY artist…self taught Worked all his life as a ranch hand and raised in a cowboy lifestyle

▪ Painted at the historical Babbitt Ranch in Northern Arizona. ▪ The Working Cowboy depicts a group of cowboys performing daily tasks in the Arizona desert. ▪ Some cowboys tie up calves, while others keep watch over the cattle. ▪ In the painting, the real-life cowboys are made to appear tough and absorbed in their work. ▪ The painting conveys the action and vibrancy of the cowboys’ jobs, while at the same time showing the difficulty of the tasks. ABOUT THE ART…

▪ Owen used many textures and colors to convey realism in the painting. ▪ The foreground is painted with blotches of paint that create the rough texture of the desert while in the background, more fluid brushstrokes are used to create smooth mountains. ▪ The color palette includes earth tones that suggest the toughness of the terrain and the heat of the Arizona sun. ▪ The use of large negative space, or the space that is not filled with action or objects, suggests the vastness of the land.

DISCUSSION What type of painting is this? Western Art – art that depicts historical and contemporary scenes and symbols of the American West What other sort of theme (certain topic or subject is always represented) would you see in Western Art Stage coaches, western landscapes, buffalo, Native Americans, etc. Does the painting itself look real to you? Yes, when art looks very genuine or realistic-it is called realism. The cowboy in the foreground is not facing the viewer? Why do you think the artist chose to do this? Although he holds a prominent place in the painting, he is turning away from the viewer. In fact, the only face we can see completely is a cow that looks directly at the viewer. It seems these cowboys are too busy to pose for a painting.

Step 1 - On the small light brown sheet of construction paper design your brand using pencil first then go over with black marker. Step 2 - Tear the edges of the light brown sheet of construction paper. Step 3 - Wrinkle the light brown sheet of construction paper then flatten out. Step 4 - Glue down the light brown construction paper in the middle of your chosen colored piece of paper; careful not to smudge your brand. Step 5 - Carefully make glue lines around your brand (on the colored piece of paper) Step 6 - Take the white string and lay it over the glue lines. Cut off any extra. Step 7 - Stamp a western design in each of the corners. Be sure the students put their name on their project. Collect & keep in Classroom for District Display.