Winston Publishing

28 • portfolio e Great Western Show Veteran and New Artists Bring Variety of Artworks to Large Venue By Shannon Ruckman the great western show A er years of having its own show during Western Art Week, the Jay Contway Legacy Art Show will be featured as part of the Great Western Show this year. e Jay Contway display features his legendary bronze sculptures, sketches, and watercolor artwork. "We have a variety of his work," says Lynn Contway of Alberta, Canada, who manages her late husband's artwork. "Some pieces are very old to the most recent ones he did before he passed away. We also have some nice prints that are not as pricey as the original artwork." Every year, Lynn looks forward to Western Art Week as she loves to hear stories from people who have met, worked with, or been inspired by Jay's work. is year, she hopes to collect stories for her newest endeavor. "I am gathering stories to write a book about Jay's bronzes," she explains. Artist Lance DuBois has some stories to share of the good times he had with Jay Contway. A cowboy poet, sculptor, illustrator, and storyteller from Great Falls, Lance participated in Western Art Week alongside Jay Contway for 35 years. "Jay was one of my best friends," he says. "I make a lot of friends when I do these shows." Lance's display, Running Wolf Fine Art, features unique carvings, bronze sculptures, and sketches of his own creation and western photography by his daughter, Sage DuBois. "We have some new products we can sell to common, everyday people – not just art collectors," says Lance. "We are diversified between artwork, handmade knives, slingshots, hoof picks, photography, and more." is is the second year Janice Bogy has featured her scratchboard wildlife scenes in the Four Seasons Arena and the first year as part of the Great Western Show. Bogy's artwork is inspired by the relationships between wildlife and nature she watches from her home in southwestern Montana. "I work from my own photographs," she explains. "You never know what you are going to see when you are out in the field." Bogy's scratchboard art features wildlife not typically featured in western art. "I have one of two big moose, a bull with a cow and a calf, and another graphite of three bobcat kiens," she explains. "I also have one of a red fox, a swan from the Yellowstone River, and a young bison I like to call 'e Hearthrob' because he is going to be 'the man' someday." A veteran of the Great Western Show and fourth-generation farmer from Carter, Mont., Rich Charlson uses different wood types and designs to create his segmented wood-turned art. Rich's artwork can be found in all 50 states and worldwide, including several European countries, Japan, South Africa, and Canada. Rich started his wood art career making wood signs, his first being a "Stallion Alley" sign for the American Quarter Horse Futurity. "I was a sign maker for 30 years," he recalls. "en, one day, I took my wood scraps and put them together to see what I could do." Four shows under one roof capture the spirit of Charlie Russell's wild west through various works from artists across the country, including our neighbors to the north.

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