For immediate release

Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale
Cody, Wyoming
Contact Diane Ballard, director
1-888-598-8119, or (307) 587-5002
art@codychamber.org

Editor's note: For an image of Hurley’s “Winter Cottonwoods at Sunset,” call or email Mark Bagne, (307) 527-5811, bagne@wyoming.com, or Deb Stafford, (307) 587-5002, bbas@codychamber.org.

Cody Show Honors Wilson Hurley

Cody, Wyo. – The 23rd annual Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale has named renowned landscape painter Wilson Hurley of Albuquerque as its 2004 Honored Artist.

During his appearance Sept. 24-25, Hurley will present a new oil painting, “Winter Cottonwoods at Sunset;” give a public lecture on the purpose of art; and sign copies of a commemorative poster featuring his painting “Lower Falls from Red Rock Point.”

The 80-year-old Hurley has been compared to masterful Western landscape artists such as Thomas Moran and hailed as America’s greatest living landscape artist. The June 2004 Southwest Art highlighted his ability to create “emotionally charged, elegantly composed visions of distinctively monumental American landscapes.”

Born in Tulsa, Okla., in 1924, Hurley grew up in Virginia and summered in New Mexico. He graduated from West Point, flew air rescue missions in the South Pacific until 1949, earned a law degree from The George Washington University, and practiced law in New Mexico for 13 years. His interest in art dates to childhood, but he did not become a full-time artist until 1965.

Hurley has placed more than 1,000 paintings in private and corporate collections, and has works in 10 museum collections including the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Gilcrease Museum, and Museum of the American West.

During his lecture in Cody at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center on Friday, Sept. 24, Hurley will discuss his views on the purpose and meaning of art.

“Paint from the heart, and don’t be persuaded by what’s in fashion,” Hurley says. “Most people whose works endure are not those who followed the fashion. We all want recognition and sales, but if you paint for that purpose, you’re chasing a mirage.”

Among other features this year, the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale has established the Dean St. Clair Memorial Award to celebrate the memory of Western painter Dean St. Clair of Del Norte, Colo. He died on Dec. 25, 2003, at age 61. The Buffalo Bill Art Show was a favorite event for Dean and his wife and fellow artist Linda St. Clair.

The art show has also established the Mike Maier Memorial Award as a tribute to the originator of the Open Box M pochade box for plein air painters. Maier died June 16, 2003. His wife Coletta carries on the Open Box M business on the South Fork of the Shoshone River near Cody.

Opening Aug. 24 for a full month in the Historical Center’s Draper Photography Gallery, the Buffalo Bill Art Show will feature 100 juried contemporary Western artists. The main auction will be Friday, Sept. 24, with a Quick Draw on Sept. 25.

Participating artists include Cyrus Afsary, Gerald Balciar, John Fawcett, T.J. Feeley, Mel Fillerup, Ann Hanson, Harry Jackson, Steven Lang, Laurie J. Lee, Ralph Oberg, Carol Peek, M.C. Poulsen, Kevin Red Star, Sherry Salari Sander, Pati Stajcar and Craig Tennant. For a full list, visit www.buffalobillartshow.com.

The Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, the Western Design Conference and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s black-tie gala, the Patrons Ball, comprise Cody’s annual arts celebration, the Rendezvous Royale, Sept. 22-25.

The weekend includes special exhibits, studio tours, artist demonstrations and seminars in conjunction with the art show and the Western Design Conference – an exhibit of cutting-edge creations by 100 leading Western furnishing and fashion designers.

Proceeds from the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale benefit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center – a complex of five museums including the Whitney Gallery of Western Art – and the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce.

For more information call Buffalo Bill Art Show Director Diane Ballard, (307) 587-5002, email art@codychamber.org, or visit www.buffalobillartshow.com.