Charlie Dye (1906-1972)
Cutting Out Mexican Cows, 1962
oil on masonite
30 x 40 inches
44.25 x 54.25 inches (frame)
signed lower right: Charlie Dye (CD Branding Iron)
verso: label, Grand Central Art Galleries, Inc. New York

Charlie Dye, born in Canon City, Colorado, found his calling as a Western genre painter after a formative encounter with Charles Russell’s work while recovering from a horse-related injury. Starting as a cowboy across Colorado, Arizona, and California, he later studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy. Moving to New York City in 1936, he became a successful illustrator for magazines such as Saturday Evening Post and Outdoor Life. Dye’s passion for Western art led him to establish a studio in Denver. On June 23, 1965, he, and fellow artists Joe Beeler, John Hampton along with George Phippen, organized the Cowboy Artists of America. Phippen was its first and Charlie Dye the second president. The group is devoted to the painting and sculpture tradition of Charles Russell and Frederic Remington and began with artists who not only depicted cowboys but were working cowboys themselves. He eventually settled in Sedona, Arizona, acclaimed for his evocative oil paintings of Western life.

In his 1962 masterwork Cutting out Mexican Cows, the artist’s dedication to authenticity is apparent, as the cattle are branded with old Texas brands dating to the mid-nineteenth century, including the “half-circle A,” a brand registered to Sam Houston’s family in San Saba County. Sam Houston was an American general and statesman who served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas. He also represented Texas in the U.S. Senate and served as the state’s seventh governor.

LITERATURE
Paul Weaver, “Charlie Dye: One Helluva Western Painter”, Petersen Prints, Los Angeles, 1981, no. 100, pg. 134.

The painting appears to be in good condition. Under UV examination, there is no evidence of restoration or inpainting.