GERALD FARM VTG SIGNED ORIG OIL PAINTING WINTER LANDSCAPE W/ COWBOY

Gerald Farm (1935-2023) was an artist of distinctly American tradition whose work appropriately earned him the honor of being dubbed “The Norman Rockwell of the West.” Born in Grand Island, Nebraska, in 1935, Farm was a storyteller who painted Western nostalgia in oils. After graduating from high school, Farm spent four years in the Navy. Part of the time was as an illustrator in Washington D.C., where he completed the Famous Artist Course in commercial art in 1958. He earned his B.S. in art education from Nebraska State College in 1961, taught at the high school level for a year and was an industrial art director for seven years before starting his career in fine arts. In 1976, Farm traveled through Europe studying the old masters and later traveled to Mexico and Africa. Each of Farm's paintings has a story to tell and is designed as a conversation piece. According to Farm, the key to his paintings were the models who he selected with great care. Like any good director, Farm scouted for models to play parts in his stories by going to bars near his home in Farmington, New Mexico, or driving up to southern Colorado in search of memorable faces. Often, he would visit a small restaurant in Aztec, New Mexico where old hands go for coffee and breakfast. As well as many dozens of his paintings selling well at auctions around the country, Farm is listed in Who's Who is in American Art and has been featured several times in Southwest Art magazine and Art of the West Magazine.

The original oil on Masonite painting offered here is wonderful example of Farm’s work that depicts a lone cowboy on horseback riding through a winter landscape. The painting is signed in the lower right. The painting is framed what appears to be its original carved wood frame with gilt accents. An inscription written in pencil on the remnants of the backing paper on bottom of the frame reads, “All reproduction rights reserved by the artist.” Unframed, the painting measures 18” x 24” and the overall framed dimensions measure 25.5” x 31.5”. There are some scuffs and scrapes on the frame and two areas of chipped paint: one area measure approximately 1/8” and the other measuring approximately 1/2" (see photos). The painting also needs a good cleaning to remove surface grime and brighten the colors even more. Nevertheless, this is a terrific painting by “The Norman Rockwell of the West” that would make an excellent addition to any collection.