Two new inductees to the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America were immortalized with their boot print, hand print and name embedded in concrete at the Museum of Western Art’s Cowboy Artist Honor Garden on Monday, Nov. 2. Colorado landscape artist Dave Santillanes and Utah plein air artist Ron Rencher join the ranks of 18 other active Cowboy Artist members and 13 emeritus members of the renowned CA association.
Both men traveled to Kerrville following the CA’s 58th Annual Exhibition and Sale this past weekend in Fort Worth. Darrell Beauchamp, executive director of Museum of Western Art, was honored to have both artists participate. “Dave and Ron are superior artists, and we congratulate them on being admitted to the CA’s,” he said.
“We’re fortunate they both could take time to visit MOWA and are already in the talking stages of how we can present their art in the future.” ABOUT THE ARTISTS Plein air artist Dave Santillanes was born and raised in Northern Colorado, where the vast beauty of the Rocky Mountains nurtured his interest in art. After graduating from Colorado State University in 1995 with a BFA in Graphic Design, Santillanes delved into the “sensory experience” of outdoor painting while working full time as a wildland firefighter and later as a digital imaging technician.
After 12 years of dedicated painting, Santillanes’ passion for plein air painting catapulted him into national acclaim for his beautiful atmospheric landscapes. Since that time.
