SHARING THE BEAUTY OF THE WEST

Preserving the fabric of the west by creating iconic images, unique pieces and delectables is the specialty of these 8 artisans.

By WHR WRITERS

There are certain elements of design and culture that keep the western lifestyle carved out from the mainstream. Some western art may be highly stereotypical, featuring days of the old west and long-lost traditions, while others are modernly abstract and minimal. Detailed silver work, to commissioned portraits of beloved equines, to masterpieces created in the kitchen, to collections of tack from master craftsmen… many different aspects fit under the umbrella of “western art.”

Here, we introduce you to eight talented artisans who are keeping the tradition of the west alive and thriving.

Triple G Custom Leather Vicki Garner

Williamson Valley, AZ

A long career as a banker provided Vicki Garner with a schedule that afforded her five days a week in a corporate job and two days to perfect her other talent, leather working. Truthfully, she’s been honing her craft since the days of high school. However, now that she’s retired from the bank, Garner has the time and skill for her second occupation as a western craftswoman, years later.

“I am self-taught, but this is a work of love,” Garner states.

Formally starting her Triple G Custom Leather business in 2006, the quality is obvious in each and every one of her pieces. Beginning with a hide of leather, Garner designs as she goes along to create the items you’ll find in her USA Made Cowboy Market store, or in one of her specialty kiosks at such pinnacle western events as Art of the Cowgirl each year. Everything is handmade by Garner and usually, her purses are one-of-a-kinds.

Western hornbags, saddle bags (of her own design), cantle bags, purses and leather visors remain as some of her most popular items. Turning these functional items into absolute works of art – some of which can personalized with brands etc. –have allowed her clients to keep the sun off their brows and items neatly stored for trail rides, for years. Some are very unique, utilizing hair on hide pieces, or plainer for the ‘non-fussy’ cowboys and girls.

Garner also applies very creative finishings to her purses and horn bags, items like chink leathers, rope ends, handwoven Zapatec or beautiful conchos.

“My biggest sellers are probably the leather visors,” she relays. “I made the band lower so you don’t get ‘hat head,’ and the bill longer so you get good shade. It’s something I prefer to wear as opposed to a hat, especially on a hot day.”

With each piece, Garner finds a great deal of enjoyment in the creative process. She continuously strives to preserve the western way of life and loves building custom pieces for her clients. Find her on Facebook @Triple G Custom Leather or 928.300.5678.

Scott Hardy

Longview, AB

Scott Hardy of Longview, Alberta, has spent four decades as a silversmith. The fifth-generation stockman was raised in Saskatchewan and came to Alberta in the 1970s, and he began working with silver to supplement ranching. A jewelry-making course led him to the world of silversmithing, and he never looked back, resolving to become the best he could be.

Hardy has created silverwork for celebrities and working cowboys alike, and his work has been exhibited around the world to great acclaim. His achievements are extensive, from receiving the Will Rogers Award for Engraver of the Year from the Academy of Western Artists in 2001 to being selected to represent western heritage and craftsmanship at the Smithsonian

Western hornbags, saddle bags (of her own design), cantle bags, purses and leather visors remain as some of Vicki Garner’s most popular items.

Here, Scott Hardy starts to get the depth he is looking for on this flask he is hand-sculpting and engraving for the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA). Hardy is a founding member and has served as a past-president.

Institute in Washington, D.C. in 2006. An image of the special buckle he designed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede became the first buckle to appear on a Canada Post stamp. Reaching these heights didn’t happen immediately. In a time of instant gratification, where artists are pressured to constantly share new work on social media and overnight sensations are lauded, Hardy’s outlook on the years of sustained effort necessary to mastering a trade are a refreshing reality check. Dedicating yourself to a profession requires you to develop a passion for the work in a purposeful manner,” he explained. “You learn to fall in love with it. You learn about the intricacies. You learn why it’s important to you, but only if you open your mind to it.” scotthardy.com

ALBERTA WHISKY CAKE & COWBOY COOKIES

KAMLA MCGONIGAL

Calgary, AB

It took baker Kamla McGonigal of Calgary, Alberta, four years to perfect her recipe. The fourth generation Calgary native wanted to use whisky, locally distilled from grain at nearby farms as one of the main ingredients in her delectable cakes. Finally after countless hours over an oven, McGonigal developed one of the best tasting and most unique baked-goods available to those with discerning palates: the Alberta Whisky Cake (AWC). The result was edible art.

Using only the finest Wild Rose ingredients, Alberta Whisky Cakes offer a seductive flavor. You will be able to smell it’s sweet, distinct goodness before you will ever taste it, but as whisky advocates know – this is a desirable trait. Its flavors evolve on your palate and linger, even after you’ve devoured the last bite. Incorporating Highwood Whisky from High River, Alberta, McGonigal baked cakes solidly every weekend for four years to create her two tantalizing flavors, Canadian Maple and Chocolate. Slices of AWC can be warmed and served plainly, drizzled with liqueur, or with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. www.albertawhiskycake.com

However you choose to enjoy it, the AWC is as much an adventure as it is a cake. McGonigal has made her passion for artistry and specifically, young, local artisans a part of each of every AWC as inside every package is a lithographed artist post card, suitable for framing or writing a personal note. One taste of the cake and you will most certainly ask yourself: is McGonigal a baker, or a virtuoso?

Then in the spring of 2021, McGonigal’s brand new line of Canadian Cowboy Cookie Mix came into being after she, now a grandmother, wanted a more nutritious cookie recipe to bake with her grandkids. However, it still had to be one they’d want to eat! She created a versatile nutritious cookie mix, based on the traditional cowboy cookie (the original power bar of the prairies). Interpreted for today’s needs, this recipe has less sugar, more flavour and is more wholesome than most cookies. The mix includes six different aromatic spices and is customizable - add in whatever you want, be it chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, seeds, even protein powder and puréed fruit - resulting in cookies as unique as you.

Leah Lucas

Okotoks, AB

Leah Lucas was raised in southern Alberta, Canada. From early childhood she revelled in the freedom to explore her world on horseback. She would forever be inspired by miles of flat unending 360-degree views, covered with expansive blue skies, butted against the imposing Rockies in the distance. Developing a deep connection with the natural world, fostered by a profound love and understanding of horses, led to her life’s passion.

“I am not sure when most artists start out, they can verbalize the “style” they will eventually embrace. To describe my work even now, feels restrictive, as it has only grown out of a journey of self-discovery. However, for those that need to describe my workrealistic impressionism - probably comes close,” says Lucas.

The contrast between the nitre blued steel and silver show off Dominic Valine’s recognizable style of work.

Just as writers aspire to find their “voice,” Lucas is instinctively led to be true to her expression.

“There is no accident, I am informed by growing up in the west and its history – where there are unreachable horizons, expanses of untameable land, definitive noisy seasons, and constantly changing weather,” she states.

“There are turbulent rivers, valleys carved out of flat prairies, mountains that sprout like historic plants and lie under blankets of ever-shifting light, providing unstoppable and fecund stimulus.”

As she evolves, Lucas sees that the universe has continued to lead her to her next challenge – which as of the printing of this issue will find Lucas exhibiting July 7 to 16th at the world-famous Calgary Stampede. International appreciators of western themed art will be able to enjoy and acquire her new paintings which have been especially curated for the prestigious Stampede Artists’ Studios.

R is for RODEO. One of Karen Coe’s original pieces done for the children’s book, S is for STAMPEDE.

Dominic Valine

Pritchard, BC

Preserving the western lifestyle and crafting quintessential ranching and training items is the specialty of artisan, Dominic Valine. Recently relocated from northern Alberta to Pritchard, British Columbia, where ranches, orchards and wineries dot the landscape, Valine’s modest home-based shop overlooks the beautiful Niskonlith Lake. He has been a bit and spur maker for over 10 years with interests in western heritage, fabrication and art. His functional hardworking gear is used by trainers, cutters, working cowboys, recreational riders and rodeo athletes alike.

Valine crafts his bits or spurs from carbon steel. He then forms, files and polishes them. Sometimes referred to as “sweet iron,” his pieces develop their own timeless, patina as they age. His ornamentation stems from a variety of art styles, from western bright cut to traditional European renaissance style scrolls and leaves. Silver, copper, brass and gold accents a variety of his bits, spurs, bridle hardware and jewellery. Hand drawn scrolls, initials and brands personalized for the client, are sawn from sheet silver. Then they are either overlayed or inlayed into the steel, polished and engraved. The contrast between the nitre blued steel and silver show off his recognizable style of art. Find him on Facebook @Dominic’s Spurs & Silver or call / text 780-831-4439.

Karen Coe

Lethbridge, AB www.karencoefinearts.com

Art is a deeply-rooted passion for Karen Coe; one that she has continued to foster and grow throughout her years of painting. As a young girl, Karen’s creative fire was ignited by her neighbor, James Watling, the noted children’s book illustrator and McGill University Professor. She would spend her time with Watling and later, continued on to study Art at the University of Lethbridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Coe grew up on the back of a horse and that has not changed to this day. She shares her life with her husband, their four beautiful children, dogs and Quarter Horse, all of whom she is thankful to call her own.

The artist considers her multiple appearances at the Calgary Stampede Art Auction and Studio her greatest artistic accomplishment to date, along with illustrating the Calgary Stampede’s S is for Stampede children’s book in 2021.

“A Kinship,” (Sold) is a 25” x 31” in antique frame, Oil and Joy on hardboard by Stefanie Travers.

Stefanie Travers

The Bumble Bee Jasper ring from Bar WW Silversmith is meant to cultivate positive energies and protect against the negatives.

Why Do People Collect Western Art?

It’s been said that artist Stefanie Travers doesn’t paint the animal so much, as she draws you into their soul. Born on Vancouver Island, BC, middle child to a pair of highly entrepreneurial parents, Travers ‘immigrated’ to the southern interior of BC 15 years ago to near Kamloops, where sagebrush, pines, and rocks inhabit the high lonesome corners and where her passion for horses, cattle and inspiration would flourish.

Travers paints predominately in oils with a deep love and awe for her subjects and the wonderful metaphors and lessons they reflect back to us as wisdom. Drawing on her lifetime of knowledge, whether it’s a hand forged shoe applied to a living hoof, initiating a baby horse into a ridden one, watching people develop a greater sensitivity and feel, refining her own appreciation for the art of equitation… it all influences her work.

Commissions have given her an incredible opportunity for “on the job” education, but she has also been deeply moved by the work of Greg Beecham and Canadian icon, David Langevin, and has been graciously nudged along by both artists. Travers is an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and Women Artists of the West with three solo shows, multiple group shows and awards in several. Her work has found homes in not only Canada, but also several US States and Portugal.

www.stefanietravers.ca

Kamloops, BC You can support local. Buying art supports your local artists directly, allowing them to continue on with their creative processes.

Bar Ww Silversmith William Winsnes

Ryley, AB

Bar WW Silversmith is an up-and-coming talent with the ability to create stand-out jewelry pieces you’re likely to style your next big outfit around. Ultimately, what matters most in the pursuit of western couture –fashion, being wearable art – is whether or not a piece resonates with you well enough to want to wear it. This goes for both clothing and jewelry. If you are looking for something a little outside of the box, or a personalized piece that remains true to tradition – Bar WW Silversmith has it for you.

William Winsnes of Bar WW Silversmith has a keen eye for the “modern west.” Using only unique turquoise pieces, 925 Sterling silver, fine silver and copper, his genuine works of art are timeless, on point and inspiring. It sets Winsnes apart in an age when western jewelry and silversmithing are being threatened by mass production.

With his intricate designs and eye for beauty in stones, Mr. Winsnes’ work is like a breath of fresh air. His handcrafted work is of the utmost quality and creativity. Born and bred in the freedom of rural life, Winsnes perpetuates the western lifestyle, culture, and art. We expect he will become a household name in the future and we will all be on his wait list for custom-made pieces soon. barwwsilversmith.ca

Art Tells a Story.

Western art is as equally emotive to the collector who wishes they’d been born a cowboy, as it is to the rancher who has seen many a harvest moon.

Create Heirlooms.

Some collectors also look further than the benefits of now and consider deeply, the effect a piece will have as an heirloom for their children.