Oleg Stavrowsky (New Mexico / Texas, 1927-2020), "Follow the Leader", oil on canvas, signed lower left, signed again and titled on the verso

sight: 15 x 29 in., frame: 21.5 x 35.5 in.

Provenance: Property from a Florissant, Colorado collection

Oleg Stavrowsky is a largely self-taught western painter whose artistic training began in high school and developed through commercial illustration, technical drafting, and correspondence with illustrator Andrew Loomis, whose book Creative Illustration he credits as his primary teacher. After serving in World War II and working as a technical illustrator for McDonnell Aircraft, Stavrowsky pursued fashion and commercial illustration before a visit to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City inspired him to devote himself to western painting. He moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he began painting western subjects, and his work was exhibited at the Hall of Fame during his first year as a western artist. His paintings focus on cowboys and Indians and are informed by his deep interest in western life, while his approach to painting is closely connected to his love of jazz, which he describes as influencing his brushwork and sense of rhythm.