Bill Bender (California / Arizona, 1919-2016), "Cottonwood Ranch", oil on panel, signed and dated lower right, 1976

sight: 24 x 36 in., frame: 28.5  x 40.5 in.

Provenance: Property from an Austin, Texas collector

A working cowboy who moonlighted as a stunt man, Bill Bender turned to writing, painting, and illustrating stories when he was recovering from an injury that occurred when he was rodeo riding. Of his rodeoing, he said: "I just rode for the hell of it, on Fourth of July, Labor Day, or some other blow out. The money ain't big but it gave us a chance to head for town, whoop it up, and swap lies with old friends." He lives in Oro Grande, California, and sometimes accompanied artist/illustrator James Swinnerton on painting trips. Swinnerton advised him to "learn the colors of the desert first" and then paint horses later. Bender followed this advice, becoming known for his desert landscapes as well as horses, cattle, and ranch scenes. He also became a civilian artist for the Air Force and Navy in the 1960s.

Source: Peggy and Harold Samuels, Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West