Bidspirit auction | Theodore Waddell ”Longhorn No. 9”

Theodore Waddell ”Longhorn No. 9” Painting 1983 - Theodore Waddell (American, b. 1941). Oil on canvas painting titled ”Longhorn No. 9,” 1983. Depicting a speckled black and white Texan Longhorn cow calf. Signed along the lower right. Pencil titled, signed, and dated along the verso. Provenance: Van Straaten Gallery, Colorado; Distinguished Corporate Collection. Lot essay: Prominent artist and third-generation Montanan, Theodore Waddell, is widely regarded as one of the West's most celebrated contemporary artists. Waddell's interest in art began at a young age, inspired by fond childhood memories of watching his father paint railroad boxcars and complete paint-by-numbers. Waddell entered Eastern Montana College (now Montana State University Billings) with the intent to become an architect; however, after flunking a math test, he enrolled in a studio art class specializing in western landscapes. Within a month of beginning the course, Waddell remarked, ”I didn't want to be alive and not make art.” With deep roots in the West and American art, Theodore Waddell's artwork draws greatly on his life experiences growing up in Montana, notably taking inspiration from the wildlife and landscape surrounding him. Waddell's artistic style incorporates bold brushstrokes, rich textures, and thick layers of pigment to capture the beauty and rugged realities of ranch life in the high plains and mountain valleys of the Rocky Mountains. Viewing the animals and landscapes that he paints as inextricably connected, Waddell frequently pairs these subjects, allowing each to complement the other. While much Western art evokes nostalgia for a bygone era, Waddell's paintings are grounded in an active and deeply personal connection to the land and the enduring rhythms of the West. Unframed; height: 36 in x width: 48 in. Framed; height: 38 1/2 in x width: 50 in x depth: 2 3/4 in. Condition: The colors are bold and deep. There are areas of craquelure where the paint is applied most thickly, particularly along the lower left quadrant and the upper right quandrant. There is a small loss to the paint along the extreme upper right corner; some wear along the extreme edges. The canvas is somewhat stiff, likely due to the thickly applied paint. There are a few small areas of soiling to the verso, consistent with being in the studio setting. Housed within a wooden frame. Not inspected out of frame.