‘Western art is a big deal:’ Reserve grand champion crafts art through Cowboy Artists of America workshop

The event aimed to give the students “a little bit of education” and a good foundation for the fundamentals, said Teal Blake, the president of the Joe Beeler Foundation, the head of the educational side of the Cowboy Artists of America. Blake, a watercolor artist, started art professionally in 2008, he said. Now, he enjoys helping at workshops like the one hosted for 10 high schools at the Will Rogers Memorial Center.

“They don’t get to be in the dirt and paint horses or cattle, and it’s kind of neat for them to get out of their bubble, too,” Blake said.

The event received a positive response from participating students, teachers and parents, Blake said. 

Clements, who is homeschooled by her mother, Sarah Clements, enjoyed the educational opportunity, but art is already a solid part of her homeschooling curriculum, her mother said.

“Mondays are her art days, and we go to a studio, and it’s a full day of art,” Sarah Clements said. “I think some art teachers are very committed to passing on art education. It depends on the exposure from that level, too, because if you have an excited teacher, it kind of translates into excitement for the students.”