Cowboy Artists of America celebrates its 60th annual trail ride at Texas’ Collins Creek Ranch
Albany, TX — The Cowboy Artists of America, the most prominent and storied arts organization in Western art, recently completed the 60th annual trail ride at the Collins Creek Ranch outside Albany, Texas. The event, which ran from April 23 to 26, brought together active CA members, invited guests and a generous group of ranch supporters that included Collins Creek Ranch owners Cliff and Lynne Teinert.
The 5,000-acre family-run ranch sits on a portion of the Great American Cattle Trail, the late-1800s trail that cowboys used to take cattle north to Kansas before they were loaded onto rail lines for their journey to Chicago. The ranch also sits in the shadow of the Fort Griffin State Historic Park. Fort Griffin was a U.S. Cavalry fort established on a hilltop in 1867 to help protect western settlers who had ventured deep into Texas after the Civil War. Fort Griffin has played a significant role in Western culture: it is where Wyatt Earp met Doc Holliday prior to their move to Tombstone, and Fort Griffin also plays a pivotal role in Cormac McCarthy’s Western novel Blood Meridian.
The nearby town that sprouted up alongside the fort, sometimes called The Flat or Hide Town, is where many of the CA members pitched their teepees and camped during the trail ride. The town, once home to as many as 3,000 people, has largely vanished except for the jail, a blacksmith shop and several other small buildings. One of the surviving buildings, Billy Wilson’s frontier home, was the location for this year’s CA group photo.
The annual trail rides, which even predate the formation of the annual CA art show, are largely meant as a fun gathering for members to get to know each other better as they experience various aspects of Western culture. This year’s trail ride featured no horses, but members painted plein air works, listened to a live performance by Red Steagall and Cliff Teinert, and also conducted a meeting to discuss and vote on CA matters for the coming year. Some of the business was related to this year’s exhibitions and sale, which will take place November 7 and 8 in Fort Worth, Texas. The group also voted in two new honorary members: Tim Newton, a longtime supporter of the arts and recent curator at the Night of Artists exhibition, and Michael Clawson, executive editor of Western Art Collector magazine.
“Cowboy Artists of America really began back in 1965 with a trail ride and that tradition is as strong today as ever. It’s a testimony that this tradition continues to be the spiritual bond that is the backbone of what Western art is really all about. It feels more like a family than an art group, though we do what we can to support each other in our work and careers,” says CA president C. Michael Dudash. “The camaraderie that develops with the chuckwagon food, paint-outs, jokes, tall tales, and late night conversations around a campfire—spiced up with a bit of music!—make our time together really special. This year at the Collins Creek Ranch was no different, and we extend our deepest thanks to the Teinert Family for hosting this year’s ride.”
For information about the Cowboy Artists of America and its members, visit the group’s website, www.cowboyartistsofamerica.com.
