WILLIAM SHEPHERD WESTERN CONNECTIONS
William Shepherd WESTERN CONNECTIONS
July 29 - August 27, 2022
Railyard Arts District | 1613 Paseo de Peralta | Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 | 505.988.3250 www.lewallengalleries.com | contact@lewallengalleries.com cover: In Bedroom, n.d., oil on panel, 33.38 x 42 in
WILLIAM SHEPHERD | Western Connections With a celebrated career spanning more than 45 years, William Shepherd is widely recognized for his intricately detailed still life paintings that relate aspects of the heritage of the American West. His elegant orchestrations of light, shadow, and color concentrate on evoking the American West from a new and discerning perspective through the depiction of carefully arranged art objects, artifacts, and other collectibles. Drawing on his personal collection of objects that spans from the antique to the brand new, mass produced to the one-of-a-kind, miniature to grand in scale, Shepherd juxtaposes an assortment of Navajo textiles, mass-produced cowboy figurines, Pueblo pottery, and desert-themed souvenirs. As a result, he creates connections between cultures and suggests new ways of thinking about the American West. Approaching his work with the spirit of a Dutch master, Shepherd paints in oil with as many as thirty glazes in a single painting. Reminiscent of historic still life painting, his exacting representation of the objects themselves is only a starting point for entry into each work. Instead, Shepherd draws significance and meaning from his use of light, shadow, the interrelationships of one object to the other, and the space occupied by each. Born in Casper, Wyoming, in 1943, William Shepherd spent his childhood drawing and exploring the outdoors. After receiving his BA and MFA from the University of Wyoming, Shepherd moved to New Mexico and began his career painting large-scale landscapes. While traveling in Mexico, he began collecting souvenirs and traditional crafts, which soon found their way into his realist compositions. His work is included in the permanent collections across the United States including, the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Hirschhorn Collection in Washington, D.C., and the University of Wyoming Art Museum in Laramie, Wyoming, among others.
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The Weight of Light, 2011 Oil on panel, 34.75" x 39.75" 3
Summer Light, 2016-18 Oil on panel, 22.88" x 28" 4
Silver, Glass, Mud, Wool, 2018 Oil on panel, 26" x 26" 5
Big Red Bird, n.d. Oil on panel, 26" x 26" 6
Canteen, Par-Fleche, Teec Nos Pos, n.d. Oil on panel, 29" x 30" 7
Hair Drop, 2009 Oil on panel, 30.63" x 23" 8
Our American Colors, 2011 Oil on panel, 31" x 26" 9
In Bedroom, n.d. Oil on panel, 33.38" x 42" 10
Untitled, 2018 Oil on panel, 19.38" x 30" 11
Pueblo Headdress, n.d. Oil on panel, 28" x 32" 12
Red Blanket, n.d. Oil on panel, 36" x 54.88" 13
Untitled, n.d. Oil on panel, 29.25" x 29" 14
Untitled, 2016 Oil on panel, 18.13" x 25" 15
Homage to Annie & Joe, 2017 Oil on panel, 22.5" x 32.5" 16
Sol y Sombra, 2017 Oil on panel, 29.25" x 33.5" 17
Virginia's Hourse, n.d. Oil on panel, 35.75" x 31.75" 18
Red Repisa, n.d. Oil on panel, 24" x 36" 19
Untitled, n.d. Oil on panel, 41" x 36.38" 20
Beautiful Skookum, n.d. Oil on panel, 36" x 36.13" 21
Masked Dancer, n.d. Oil on panel, 24.13" x 24.75" 22
Untitled, n.d. Oil on panel, 28.13" x 39.13" 23
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Shadow Flight, n.d. Oil on panel, 49.75" x 47.88"
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William Shepherd In his work, William Shepherd selects diverse objects from his personal collection to arrange intricate still lifes of the American West, which juxtapose cultural artifacts, utilitarian tools, and kitsch trinkets. Approaching his work with the spirit of a Dutch master, his hyper-realistic depictions make space for each object and create a strong visual relationship between the forms, as well as with the contrasts of light, shadow, and color. Born in Casper, Wyoming, in 1943, William Shepherd spent his childhood drawing and exploring the outdoors. After receiving his BA and MFA from the University of Wyoming, Shepherd moved to New Mexico and began his career painting large-scale landscapes. While traveling in Mexico, he began collecting souvenirs and traditional crafts, which soon found their way into his realist compositions. His work is included in the permanent collections across the United States including, 1 the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Hirschhorn Collection in Washington, D.C., and the University of Wyoming Art Museum in Laramie, Wyoming, among others.
WILLIAM SHEPHERD b. 1943, Casper, WY SELECTED SOLO PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS 2022
Western Connections, LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2013
William Shepherd: Common Elegance, Tucson Museum of
2008
International Center, Washington, DC; National Art Museum of China, Beijing, Shanghai Museum
Art, Tucson, AZ 2008
William Shepherd: Reviewing the West, Gerald Peters Gallery,
2003 2001
Recent Paintings, Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1998
Recent Paintings, J. Cacciola Gallery, New York City, NY
1996
William Shepherd, Recent Works, J. Cacciola Gallery,
Exhibition of U.S. Ambassadorial Collection, U.S. Ambassadors Residence, Dublin, Ireland
& Discovery Center, Casper, WY 2002
Representing Representation VI, Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY
Santa Fe, NM William Shepherd: Reviewing the West, Nicolaysen Museum
Defining The Great American Landscape, Meridian
1995
Exhibition of U.S. Ambassadorial Collection, Residence of U.S. Ambassador Mark Grossman, Ankhara, Turkey
1991
The Hubbard Museum Invitational, Ruidoso, NM
New York City, NY
New Art of the West, Eiteljorg Museum Invitational,
1994
Recent Paintings, Davis McClain Gallery, Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
1991
Events about a Rectangle, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art,
1988
Loretto, PA
Cedar Rapids, IA Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art,
1987
Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1984
Landscape Seen, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM
Bill Shepherd/Paintings, Gerald Peters Gallery, Dallas, TX
1976
Sixth Washington Jefferson National Painting Show, Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, PA
Bill Shepherd/Paintings, Amarillo Art Center, Amarillo, TX Bill Shepherd/Paintings, Cadme Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1984
1975
Waterworks, Davis McClain Galleries, Houston, TX
1980
Water Works, Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1973
Southwest Rising, Tuscon Museum of Art, Tuscon, AZ
2012-18 Prix de West, National Cowboy and Western Heritage 2016
Fifth Washington Jefferson National Painting Show, Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, PA
1972
SELECTED MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS
Four Realists, Student Center Gallery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Davis McClain Galleries, Houston, TX
1982
2020
Boundless Realism: Contemporary Landscape Painting of the West, Rockwell Museum of Western Art, Corning, NY
Indianapolis, IN 1986
The Face of the Land, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art,
Wyoming Arts, University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, WY
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY
Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
2015-16 Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Cody, WY
Ambassador and Mrs. Michael Sullivan, Casper, WY
2011-14 The West Select, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
Robert Redford, Santa Fe, NM
2014
Small Works, Great Wonders, National Cowboy and Western
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
Lamar University, Beaumont, TX
2011-20 The West Select, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Blount Collection, Montgomery, AL
Masters of the American West, Autry National Center,
Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM
Los Angeles, CA
Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY
The West Select, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
Prix de West, National Cowboy and Western Heritage
The Olga Hirshhorn Collection, Washington, DC
Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
Tucson Museum of Art, Tuscon, AZ
2009-18 Masters of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, WY Acrupaccion Sierra Madre, Mexico City, Mexico
Railyard Arts District | 1613 Paseo de Peralta | Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 | 505.988.3250 www.lewallengalleries.com | contact@lewallengalleries.com © 2022 LewAllen Contemporary, LLC Artwork © William Shepherd