Andy Thomas

Grand ol' Gang and True Blues are truly the most exciting project that Andy Thomas has worked on. It took weeks and piles of research material just to begin the paintings. Countless sketches of presidents and layouts were done to come up with the originals. With these two paintings Andy has captured the spirit and likeness of some of our nations greatest presidents. You can just hear the muttering between them as they play a friendly game of poker. Again, the creative side put them in the back ground of the convention centers of years ago and if you look closely you will find various items that were related to them, each in their own way.

Many call Andy Thomas the "Storyteller" and if you have ever had a chance to view his work you might just agree. Currently he is telling many stories with his action filled western art. These pieces are bringing the cowboys back to life as well as the American West history. In the past, Andy has painted many subjects from a picnic by the river, kids playing sports to a brutal bear fight. All of his paintings end up telling you, the viewer, some kind of story of our lives.

Westerns I am pretty confident that this action shoot em' up western will holds it's own on the auction block. Not too many of today's artists can bring to you the breath, sweat and intensity of the old west as Andy does. I guess that you would have to pay a premium price to own a classic Russell to compare to Andy's work. Now that is a pretty nice comparison. Not to mention that Andy's auction piece at the CM Russell auction in March sold for $180,000. This set a record for the show as the highest price paid for any artist other than Russell! This was another unique painting that Andy not only captured a fine portrait of Charlie Russell himself but the characters that he used in many of his paintings. Charlie Russell and his Characters was an ingenious painting by Andy. Another aspect of his unique abilities.

James Bama was born in 1926 and grew up in the Northeast. He followed his early interest in art through New York’s specialized High School of Music and Art and the Art Students League. As a professional, Bama has earned a reputation for several facets of his talent. He freelanced briefly before spending fifteen years at the respected Charles E. Cooper Studios—at the time, the country’s top firm of illustrators—and more freelancing followed.

Bama’s activities during this period were highlighted by artwork for the New York Giants football team, the Baseball and Football Halls of Fame, the U.S. Air Force and The Saturday Evening Post. Fans of pop culture may know him best as the artist who portrayed Doc Savage on sixty-two memorable book covers. Then Bama decided it was finally time to do what he most wanted to do. He moved west to Wyoming, where an artist “can trace the beginnings of Western history; see the oldest weapons, saddles and guns and be close to Indian culture.”

He sold his first Western fine art painting soon after the move. The distinctive work of James Bama combines tradition with modern realities. In his much-acclaimed studies, Bama shows the contemporary West preserving its traditional culture. His portraits of inhabitants of the plains and mountains capture the true character of the West.

Today the paintings of James Bama are part of many prestigious collections. Bama has been represented in major exhibitions throughout the West and has been presented in one-man shows in New York City. Bantam Books published The Western Art of James Bama in 1975 and The Art of James Bama in 1993. Jim was inducted into the Illustrator’s Hall of Fame June 28, 2000. Through his portraits of real people of the new West re-creating their history and heritage, Bama pays homage to the Old West and is renowned in yet another realm of the art world.

Paul Dykman is an artist with a vast subject range. He can best be described as a classically trained artist with the talent and ability to capture feeling.Paul was raised in a family of professional artists and in keeping with the Dykman tradition, was encouraged to draw and paint from an early age. He was instructed in art technique from his father and grandfather and also credits outstanding instruction from workshops in South Africa.He sold his first painting at a joint exhibition with his father at the Royal Agriculture Show in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa at the age of thirteen. This was the first of many joint exhibitions. He later went on to be represented by numerous galleries in South Africa.In 1995 he and his family moved to the States to further his artistic exposure. He has exhibited at the Arts for the Parks Exhibition in 2003 and 2004 and the Charles Russell Auction in 2007 and 2008.

John Fitzgibbon is a native of the midwest.  He was born in Kansas, raised in Oklahoma and he now resides in Missouri. John has been drawing and painting since early childhood.  When he was fourteen he won his first art competition and a five dollar prize. 

John has a masters degree in art and art education.  He taught art at the elementary, high school and college levels.  He has also conducted watercolor and acrylic workshops nationally and internationally. He says he enjoys teaching workshops because people are there to learn as much as they can in a short amount of time. According to John, " It's a very intense and engaging situation.  But it's also a very rewarding time for me. It's fun to teach people who want to keep learning."  John works in all mediums but watercolors are his favorite.  He says that he loves watercolors for their fresh, spontaneous qualities.  This love for watercolors carries over in his workshops.  Here he is able to share what he has learned and teach it to his students.  

John has been doing commission paintings for the last thirty five years.  These include portraits, landscapes and murals.  He has work in collections in the U.S. as well as  Europe.  He has had two one man showings in the rotunda of the Oklahoma State Capitol.  And in 1999 his watercolor entitled "CHEERS", won the special judge's award in the national Watercolor USA, competition.  In 1989 John won the Best Of Show award in a national  competition sponsored by the University Womens' Organization. The painting was entitled "SATURDAY MORNING". 

John and his wife Debbie live in Webb City, Mo.  Here John maintains his studio where he manages his time between workshops, commissions and art shows. To see more of John's work log on to www.johnfitzgibbon.com  For workshop or artwork information e mail  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Will Cooper is a conservative Christian cowboy who owns a 2,500 acre working cattle ranch and dabbles in oil paints at night. He's a seventh generation Texan. His grandfather, 7 generations ago, was one of a handful of men to escape the Goliad massacre. Will's ancestors came from England and Scotland to the new country and made their way to Texas. He was born on a working ranch to very good parents. He played football in college and after graduating he went to work in the oil fields of Odessa. There he met a wonderful girl, they married and she took him to church. He gave his heart to Christ. After a drunk driver killed his wife and unborn son, Will used the insurance money to purchase his south Texas ranch and has since carved out a living raising cattle. A friend suggested he learn to paint, so he went to Herwick’s Art Supply in San Antonio and asked someone to help him with what he needed. He has never been to an artist’s workshop or attended art classes. Will's belief is, if he put miles and miles on his brushes, eventually, he'll get to where he wants to go.

Garnet Buster grew up in Corpus Christ, Texas and began his interest in art at an early age. He majored in art at Southwest Texas University and began his full-time art career in 1973. Garnet was featured in Southwest Art Magazine in May 1979. In 1991, he was chosen for participation in the Art in Embassies Program of the U.S. Department of State. In this program two of his paintings hung in the American Embassy in Beijing, China for two years.

Tricia is a multi-faceted fine artist who creates in various mediums including oil, acrylic, mixed media and digital designs. She also works with recycled found objects.

Her oil paintings are primarily landscapes and floral works with a style that¹s bold and bright with highly textured strokes reminiscent of Van Gogh. Her acrylics are Jackson Pollack-inspired with heavy splashes of color with
lots of motion.

Tricia is a graduate of Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield Missouri, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting.

More information -

Education

• McAuley Catholic High School, Joplin, Mo. 1975
• Southwest Missouri State University (Missouri State University),
  Springfield, Mo. 1979
  (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting)
• Central State University, Edmond, Okla. 1980 (Post graduate work,
• Graphics)

Born into an art family, April has been exposed to the arts all her life. Her father, Lowell Davis, has encouraged her love of art. April’s earliest bronze dates back to when she was five years old. She is a sculptor turned oil painter with a focus on nature. Sculpting and nature are a perfect blend for her beautiful flower sculptures. Sculpted entirely by hand April creates delicate flowers, which are then fired and painted with great attention paid to the many colors nature provides.

Lowell Davis is one of the founders of the Midwest Gathering of the Artists. He was an art director for 13 years in Dallas, Texas, after attending Kansas State University.

In time, he moved back to Missouri where he began to pursue his love of art and the easy country life. He reconstructed his boyhood hometown, Red Oak, where he continued his art career and established a following of collectors of his figures and oil paintings of animals and buildings that are on his farm.

He now enjoys the quiet life with his wife, Rose. He spends his days painting and canoeing down the peaceful Elk River, He reflects on a life of love, art, and dreams that came true.

As a regionalist painter, the inspiration and imagery for my paintings come from the small town of Carthage, Mo., where my home and studio are located, and from the beautiful, rolling countryside of my native Missouri Ozarks. My streetscapes and landscapes are loose, realistic renderings of scenes that most people relate to and feel comfortable with. My fascination with steam locomotives allows me to work with more abstract shapes and interesting colors and textures while still keeping a realistic viewpoint. They challenge me to convey the immense power they represent.

For over 20 years, I painted exclusively in transparent watercolor (probably the most difficult medium to master). In the last few years, I expanded into gouache, acrylics and oils as well - a very rewarding experience. Many works in this new medium tend toward impressionism which I love. I believe I always had an innate sense of art. In college, I doodled strange creatures instead of paying attention to my music courses. But music was my chosen field and I spent five years as a woodwind artist in a U.S. Navy Band.

Robin Putnam works in alabaster and Indiana limestone, studying with Bill Snow in Carthage, MO. She has work in private collections in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon and Texas. She is a retired volunteer Director of ArtCentral, a non-profit art organization in Carthage. She served 10 years on the Board of Directors. She was the 2004 Carthage Chamber of Commerce Artist of the Year. BA with Honors from Missouri Southern State University. She studied at Oxford University, Oxford, England and the Folkhogskola, Mullsjo, Sweden. "With polished Indiana limestone there is such a contrast with the warm, earthy colors and the coolness of touch. The fossil inclusions make this a unique stone and the tight grain allows the carver to use crisp lines creating shadows necessary for enhancing intricate aspects of the overall design. Alabaster is more of a challenge but the beautiful colors make it all worthwhile and lead one to design pieces based on the colors and their variations. I love working outdoors, chips flying, the roar of the air hammer.....it's all very invigorating and at the end of the day when the dust settles it's awesome to see how the stone has taken on new dimensions in anticipation of the final design."

Born in Hollywood, California Theresa knew she wanted to be an artist at six years old. “I remember telling my teachers how to color and draw, stating matter of factly that I am going to be an artist when I grow up. Formal studies began at the University of Hawaii., University of Utah. "I have always believed that art should speak to everyone. Capturing a place in time, an event or moment and infusing it with emotion... are my highest priorties. To draw the viewer into this impressionistic world of realism I tell the story through shapes of color and light expressed with gestural brushwork and a solid design.Whether it is a landscape, still life or figurative I am happy to paint anything that stirs my heart, mind and soul.shapes of color and light; therefore I am happy to paint anything that stirs my heart and mind.I strive for a mix of realism and looseness I find emotionally and visually satisfying" She is influenced by Sargent, Sorrolla, Zorn and current artists Richard Schmid, Dan Gerhartz and Jeremy Lipking. Always eager to improve she has attended workshops with several local artists and received scholarships to Scottsdale Artists' School twice in the last three years. She continues to strive towards excellence and has lived in the Missouri/Kansas area for the past 16 years. She is a member of SPIVA of Joplin Mo, Artists of Northwest Arkansas, Eureka Springs Artists Guild, Bartlesville Art Association, Ok, artCentral of Carthage, Mo., NOAPS, Oil Painters of America, The Academic Artists Association and Landscape Artists International. She also teaches regular classes, dabbles in photography, gives workshops and is a member of Artists Who Teach.

Bob Tommey, nationally known painter and sculptor, was born March 2, 1928 in Ozan, Arkansas. He is best known for his western art and is an admired and respected art teacher with a long list of successful artists who credit Bob's expertise for their achievements. Since 1978, he has been a founder and driving force behind the Midwest Gathering of the Artists show held annually in his adopted home of Carthage, Missouri.

After studying painting and illustration at the Kansas City Art Institute, Williams graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Today, he excels in his ability to paint all subject matter using spontaneous brushwork and creative virtuosity. Most of the time he can be found painting en plein air.

Through this discipline he has found his own recognizable voice, which is now becoming his signature style.

I sculpt, paint, and create because I love to. I try to incorporate art into everything I do. I have always aspired to be a working artist, and now I am pursuing my dream. I work in all mediums. My mood and subject matter often dictate what medium and style I choose for a sculpture or painting. I paint in both realism and abstract styles because I feel that emotions are expressed and understood better through abstract, while the beauty of a subject should be seen through realism. I grew up and attended school in Webb City, MO where I learned the basics of painting and drawing from my high school art teacher, and artist, John Fitzgibbon. While in high school, I attended "Arts Encounter '96" at William Woods University. I took first place with my "Tomato Still Life" at the exhibit. During my senior year I was awarded the "Thomas Hart Benton Art Scholarship" to MSSU. After a couple of years at MSSU majoring in Studio Arts, I left school to start a family. Four kids later I am still pursuing a Bachelors degree in Studio Arts at MSSU as a non-traditional student. Most recently, I was awarded 1st Place for my "found wood" sculpture "Shadow's Perfect Sky" at the 2009 ArtCentral Members show in Carthage, MO. Currently, I reside just outside of Avilla, MO on a crop and cattle farm with my husband Kyle Wilson and our four kids. For the last six years, I have been devoted to my family. During this time the art I created was inspired by sights from our farm, and the emotions I have experienced as a young mother and wife.