Best of the West 2022
Thank you to our friends who pointed out that Dusty was featured in the January 2022 issue of True West Magazine in the Best of the West: Art & Collectibles section as the Best Western Bronze Artist! What a great honor to start out the new year with. We are looking forward to adding more news and show info soon to our updated website! Here’s to a great year.
Tammy Payne
It’s Not Just the Money; It’s the Story
Auction houses and Western collectors enjoyed a banner year of selling and buying art, collectibles and firearms.
Why do we collect The West? For most of us it’s not about the money, nor is it just an investment. It is about a love of the artifacts. And why? Sometimes it’s their sheer beauty, like the exquisitely engraved firearms offered by Rock Island Auctions at the beginning of 2021, or the luminescence of a R. Tom Gilleon painting of a tepee and offered at The Russell Auction this past August. Or it might be the unusual nature of an item, like the Harrington and Richardson Arms Company’s countertop display offered at Brian Lebel’s Old West Auction in June. But above all we are drawn to the stories associated with artifacts, like the revolver used by Pat Garrett to kill Billy the Kid. The sale of that otherwise ordinary firearm established a world record at Bonham’s in August. In 2021 artifacts that also told a story drew the most attention.
The year began with the sale of Hollywood-associated hats, firearms and other clothing as part of Brian Lebel’s auction in Mesa, Arizona. Some artifacts came from tales told by Hollywood, like the rifle used by John Wayne in his role as Rooster Cogburn and the shirt worn by him in The Searchers, both of which sold at Brian Lebel’s Mesa auction in January. In addition to the firearms associated with Billy the Kid at the Bonham Auction, hanging Judge Isaac Parker’s gavel brought a hefty price. And why not? Imagine the stories it could tell.
True West Magazine January 2022
Best Western Bronze Artist
Dustin Payne, Cody, WY
A member of the Cowboy Artists of America, Dustin Payne is acclaimed for his artwork and monumental bronzes. His remarkable Western bronzes celebrate our Western heritage, the ranching West, wildlife, Native cultures and the American cowboy. The Wyoming artist is also well-known for his monument work, including The Legend, The Lore, The Law at the Texas Rangers Heritage Center in Fredericksburg, Texas.