It's been said that a
picture is worth a thousand words...we know many that are worthy of a
poem or a song. In Art Spur, we invite poets and songwriters to let selections of Western art inspire their poetry
and songs.
Our
twenty-seventh piece offered to "spur" the imagination is
the work of
Arizona
artist, poet, and fourth-generation rancher
Shawn Cameron.
© 2011, Shawn Cameron; this painting should not be reposted or
reproduced without permission;
shawncameronart.com
Oil
20x24
"Mornings on Horseback"
Shawn Cameron comments:
The subject is our
son, Brooks Cameron. It was an early morning in June on the Cataract
country south of the Grand Canyon. The light and atmosphere, the
work ahead of the all the men, the smell of the livestock, etc. were
part of the motivation. The determination these men have as they
leave morning after morning, to do whatever needs to be done, is
motivation to me personally. It gives me courage to face the day.
It was painted in
2011, sold in a gallery in Bozeman, Montana, and hangs in a
professional office in Texas.
Art Spur subjects are
meant to inspire poetry and songs; we look for poems and songs inspired by the piece, not
necessarily for a literal description of the image or its subject.
Submissions
from all were welcome through
Monday, November 21, 2011. Submissions
are now closed.
Find the selected poems
here.
The 2004 17th Annual Arizona Cowboy
Poets Gathering poster featured artist Shawn Cameron's
painting, "Along the Santa Maria." The gathering theme
was Still Doin' Business. The event's invited poets write poems about the
poster painting, and the poems are presented at sessions during the event.
Shawn Cameron and
the gathering organizers gave us permission to share the image, and
our feature here includes a selection of the
poster poems. We are particularly pleased to
have Shawn Cameron's own poem in that selection, "Cactus, Sand and
Stone (or Corrientes and the Cowboy)."
Find that poem and
another, "The Echo of Jangling Spurs," along with our feature about
her, here.
About
Shawn Cameron
from
shawncameronart.com
Like many in her field, Shawn is considered an accomplished
professional in the arena of Western Art but her roots run deeper than
most when it comes to subject matter. Her work is a passionate
reflection of what she knows personally, Western ranch life.
Her family's involvement
in the state's cattle business began over 135 years ago. Both sides of
her family are Arizona pioneers. Her paternal great-grandfather, James
Henry Wingfield, his father, two brothers and their families used oxen
to pull their covered wagons west on the Oregon Trail, then traveled
south with horse drawn wagons to Arizona crossing the Colorado River
with 200 head of cattle in 1875. They settled in the area of Camp
Verde. A family brand registered by them in 1885 is reportedly one of
the state’s oldest on file.
Her maternal
grandfather, John Osborne, rode horseback to Arizona from Kansas in
1908. He obtained work near Globe at the largest ranch in Arizona, the
Chiricahua Cattle Company, better known as the "Cherrycows." He moved
to general manager in 1915. He eventually owned several ranches and in
1961 was honored as Cattleman of the Year by the Arizona Cattlegrowers
Association. That legacy continues as Shawn and Dean’s children carry
ranching into the fifth generation.
She credits the Lord, a lifelong love affair with art and a unique
family heritage for her perspective of the west. Possessing a deep
appreciation for the true cowboy, the elements of his world become an
inspiration for her work. There is nobility about him. As Poet Utah
Phillips wrote about the cowboy, “If dirt were a kingdom, then he
would be king.”
Artistic talent manifested itself at an early age and art education
was provided through formal and informal settings. Several mentors
were influential but the early encouragement of Joe Beeler,
Bill Owen and Robert “Shoofly” Shufelt
proved valuable. Others she has studied with include: Jim Wilcox, Dan
Robinson, Bill Anton, Mark Daily, Jim Norton CAA, Ron Riddick CAA,
Matt Smith, Martin Grelle CAA, Bruce Greene CAA, and sculptor, John
Coleman. Her primary medium is oil but she has worked in pencil,
watercolor, pastel and clay.
While raising her children on the ranch, she obtained a Bachelors of
Education with a minor in Written Expression, yet art remained her
first love. She had come to a fork in the road requiring a career
decision. It was Dean who provided the counsel, strength and courage
she needed to travel the uncharted course of her artistic development.
He remains a major source of encouragement and support. After many
years in the art world she retains the heart of a student whose goal
is continual improvement.
A water tower remodeled into a modern studio near their home, sits on
the banks of the Verde River north of Prescott, Arizona. Horses are
within a few feet of her door and provide an opportunity to sketch and
paint from life. These studies are then taken indoors as painting
resources. Material is gathered on family ranches. Her studio
paintings include men and livestock with vital connections to the
contemporary ranching scene. Her family is often part of this story.
Because of her intimate relationship to the animals and cowboys, she
takes pride in portraying them accurately.
Several publications have featured Shawn's work including Southwest
Art, Western Art Collector, Art of the West and
Western Horseman. Her paintings have served as the covers of
Equine Art and Western Horseman. The Arizona Cowpuncher's
Rodeo and Prescott Cowboy Poetry Gathering are among those that have
used her paintings on their posters.
Art Shows she's participated in include the Prix de West at the
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma; Heart of the West at the National Cowgirl Museum in Ft.
Worth, Texas; Cowgirl Up! at the Desert Caballeros Museum in
Wickenburg, Arizona and honored as the co-featured artist at the C.M.
Russell Auction in Great Falls, Montana. Shawn won her first
professional art awards early in her career. In 1992 she received the
Phippen Family Award and Second in drawing at the Phippen Memorial
Western Art Show. Her work has been recognized in a variety of venues
but one she's especially honored by is the 2007 Cowgirl Up! “Artist’s
Choice Award.” Her paintings can be seen in Trailside Galleries in
Scottsdale, Arizona and Jackson, Wyoming and Tierney Fine Art in
Bozeman, Montana.
See our
feature here for more about
Shawn Cameron, which includes additional examples of her work and some
of her poetry. Visit
her web site,
shawncameronart.com, which includes her
blog.
