Art by Hollis Richardson
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Feast Day 11 x 8
American Western Paintings & Drawings
Hollis Richardson’s American western paintings and drawings, are traditional art of realism and impressionism reflecting the diverse humanity of the American west. Faces young and old from varied walks of life dominate this body of work. Produced mostly while living in the Salmon River canyon in Idaho, you see cowboys, Native Americans and pueblos, as they currently were at the 1980s. Read the biography and the paragraphs below the art, to learn more about the influences on his American western paintings and drawings.
Paint and Feather 10 x 8
.png "Mama Said No 10")
Mama Said No 10 x 8Print
.png "Contemplating the Competition 10 x 8")
Contemplating the Competition 10 x 8
.png "Rancher 11 x 7")
Rancher 11 x 7
.png "Proud Man12 x 9")
Proud Man 12 x 9
.png "Linnie 11 x 7")
Linnie 11 x 7
.png "Happy Dancer 14 x 11")
Happy Dancer 14 x 11
.png "Feast Day 11 x 8")
Feast Day 11 x 8
.png "Embracing Their Traditions 16 x 9")
Embracing Their Traditions 16 x 9
.png "Frontier Woman13 x 9")
Frontier Woman 13 X 9
.png "Hot Dog Cowboy 11 x 8")
Hot Dog Cowboy 11 X 8
.png "Where's Mama 12 x 9")
Where's Mama 12 X 9
.png "Powwow Dancer 14 x 11")
Powwow Dancer 14 x 11
.png "Proud Dancer 14 x 11")
Proud Dancer 14 x 11
.png "Blessing This Place 14 x 11")
Blessing This Place 14 x 10
.png "Princess 14 x 11")
Princess 14 x 11
.png "All My Wealth 11 x 8")
All My Wealth 11 x 8
.png "Determination 15 x 12")
Determination 15 x 12
.png "Big Hat 16 x 12")
Big Hat 16 x 12 Sold
.png "Gotta Ride That Bull 14 x 10")
Gotta Ride That Bull 14 x 10
.png "Shy Dancer 24 x 18")
Shy Dancer 24 x 18
.png "Powwow Friends 36 x 24")
Powwow Dancer 36 x 24
.png "Dressed To Dance 16 x 12")
Dressed to Dance 16 x 12
.png "What Thoughts 12 x 9")
What Thoughts 12 x 9
.png "Fancy Dancer 13 x 13")
Fancy Dancer 13 x 13
.png "Young Girl 9 x 12")
Young Girl 9 x 12
.png "Old Timers 12 x 16")
Old Timers 12 x 16
BECOMING A WESTERN ARTIST
If you wish to become a western artist, you need an intimate experience with the subject, because subject matter is paramount in American paintings and drawings. It is best to live there, interact with the people and experience the culture first hand. Tradtional artist Frederick Remington visited the old west extensively, but Charlie Russell lived there and worked as a cowboy and sometimes lived among the Blackfeet tribe in Montana. His paintings have more action, more color and are more authentic. The western art galleries and shows selling traditonal art of the American west, are primarily located in the west. Gallery owners and collectors expect the traditional artist to have authentic experiences and to render life there realistically and accurately. Richardson participated in many of western art shows during the time he lived in Idaho and Colorado and gained considerable recognition for his work.
Influence on Richardson's Western Art
Just out of college, Hollis Richardson lived and worked on the Navajo Reservation at Chenle, AZ in the four corners area of the southwest, where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. He developed a deep appreciation of native people and a respect for their culture and customs. He discovered the Navajo belief that they must do everything they can to maintain harmony or balance on Mother Earth. He witnessed the simplicity of their lifestyle, the songs and chants meant to restore equilibrium to the cosmos and their celebrations that brought families together. His ability to see beyond poverty and social problems, to see their humanity, became the basis of his ability to accept all people as equals. His American western paintings and drawings are colorful reminders of a very different way of experiencing life.
Much later, (1977-1987), the artist moved to rural Idaho where he was in daily contact with ranchers and loggers, who patronized his small general store. He also taught art and social studies, grades one through twelve in Riggins, Idaho, where their children and grandchildren educated Richardson on the local culture. The rodeo was the main event of the summer in the Salmon River canyon community of Riggins, ID and everyone in the community went and some participated. The Nez Perce Reservation at Lewiston, ID was a short drive and he enjoyed many of their small powwows, which drew participants from other tribes. The people of Riggins and the Nez Perce were frequent subjects of his American western paintings and drawing.
During summers, and after selling the small business, Richardson worked full time on his artwork, creating realistic drawings and paintings in a traditional and an impressionistic style. After moving to Denver, the annual multinational powwow was a special treat, and he continued to make Native Americans the subject of his oil paintings. He loved the color and decorative elements of their native dress, and the movement of their dances. The sound of the beat of their drums gave rhythm to his paintings and a longing to work full time on his artwork.
Long weekends in Colorado were punctuated by visits to Taos and Santa Fe, where he trekked through many art galleries and visited the pueblos nearby, where natives continue to live . The Taos artists, including Nicoli Fechin, an important Russian impressionist, became an important influence on his work during a period of several years. He was also introduced to the work of Sergei Bongart, a Russian impressionist living in Los Angeles and William Reese, a student of Bongart’s living in the northwest. The master works of these accomplished artists spurred him on to achieve similar skills in his own paintings and drawings.