Manuel Garza (Texas, b. 1940), two wild turkeys, oil on canvas

sight: 8 x 10 in., frame: 16 in. x 18 in.

Provenance: Property from the ranch home of a prominent businessman in Mineral Wells, Texas

Celebrated for his vivid and finely detailed Texas landscapes, Central Texas native Manuel Garza grew up in the region he would later depict in his many artworks. Garza recreates this scenery to perfection, capturing in oil the thick heat, bold sunlight, and cool shade of the state along with the wildflowers, quail, pheasant, turkeys, deer, and Monarch butterflies. "I am a landscape artist", he says, "but wildlife is part of that landscape. It adds life." Garza is largely self-taught, though he did attend the Texas School of Fine Arts and studied under Porfirio Salinas and Robert Wood, citing them as major influences on his style. Manuel Garza's paintings can be found in the collection of Lyndon B. Johnson, John Connally, Ben Barnes, and many others throughout the United States.