DUKE BEARDSLEY | ALL WAYS COWBOY: ILLUMINATING OBFUSCATIONS FROM THE LOST TRAIL TO NOWHERE

As a fifth generation Coloradan, Duke Beardsley's western roots run deep. Splitting his time between city life in Denver and his family's cattle ranch in eastern Colorado, he has been drawing and painting images of the American West most of his life.

Heavily influenced by Modern Art and a deep desire to be "of his time", Duke blends modern artistic elements with the traditional icons of the West that deeply resonate with him.

"I've said it many times; I am not a product of Charlie and Frederic's Wests–I’ve never roped a bear, tracked renegades, or been in a gunfight over water. But I have lived, by most metrics, a very ‘western life’- I trained cattle, stretched wire, packed mules, doctored cattle and wrangled/riden/hiked/biked/skied across The West (and back!) a hundred times over. I think THAT is where my style comes from." says the artist.

In his latest work, Beardsley navigates life’s challenges and incorporates the rich lessons he’s learned; letting the ebbs and flows take shape on the canvas and welcoming whatever happens. "I think what I have learned, or rather, RE-learned, is that there is no separation between art and life for me. Life in the studio is an extension of life at home. As such, the work I am producing now is very much reflective of my life; chaotic and somber, impulsive and reflective, vibrant and subdued. It's steeped in tradition and detail and rubbed raw with the ambition of change and transformation.”

Duke Beardsley was born in 1969 in Denver, Colorado. He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Beardsley's work has been featured in notable exhibitions across the country such as the Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale, the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, The Russell: The Sale to Benefit the C.M. Russell Museum, and the Colorado Governor's Invitational Art Show & Sale. His work can be found in collections around the world, including the Forbes Collection, Denver Art Museum, Booth Museum of Western Art, and the State of Colorado.