Howard Terpning B.1927 Pencil

A limited edition, p encil hand-signed print "Field Headquarters Arizona Teritory 1885", 1979, by the important contemporary artist of the American west, HOWARD TERPNING (1927-). The work, 14 1/4" by 23 1/4" inside the matting, and 25" by 34" framed. The signature is at lower left, where the print is numbered 432/975. Condition is excellent; frame has minor wear. Terpning is likely the most important contemporary western artist. Some oils have exceeded one million dollars at auction on numerous occasions, with even more exceeding $500,000. Prints have enabled wider opportunity to own his art. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois. Showing early art ability, he attended Chicago Academy of Fine Arts on the G.I. Bill after military service in Asia in the mid 1940's. An introduction to famed illustrator Haddon Sundblom led to an apprenticeship with that artist. In ensuing decades, he began a long, successful career in commercial art, creating posters for major movies, and illustrations for major national magazines. Based in the New York area, he by 1974 tired of commercial work despite the success and national recognition it brought. As a young man, Terpning and his cousins had spent a memorable summer in southwestern Colorado, spurring a life-long interest in things western. By 1977 he had decided to settle in Arizona, where he began to paint the Native American plains indians and the American west, selling his work to galleries. His attention to history and accuracy was noted by collectors, who were willing to pay high prices for his original works. Today Terpning's paintings also hang in major museums of western American art, alongside those of historical masters. Note the complex, three mat with western motif corners, placed by the Sherwood, Oregon gallery which framed this.