Michael Duty

The state of Texas is a vast land of tremendous variety. From the lush piney woods of East Texas to the semiarid deserts of West Texas, from the Gulf Coast to the High Plains of the Panhandle, the land, people, and legends of the Lone Star State have inspired an equally diverse group of painters and sculptors. Texas Traditions brings together both historic and contemporary artists, showcasing their work in more than 200 images as colorful as the men and women who created them. Michael Duty, who selected the artists appearing in the volume, authors a lead essay on historic Texas artists from the mid-19th through the early 20th centuries. Susan Hallsten McGarry interviews 36 contemporary artists whose paintings and sculptures pay homage today to the Texas ethos and reveal artistic influences that compel each artist toward his or her unique style and voice. Texas Traditions is a library addition that refuses to stay on the shelf. Readers will enjoy endless hours of vibrant, moving imagery, Texas geography, and the kind of artistic personalities that reveal why Texas stands out as not only a place but also a persona.

Western Traditions is a new book on the art of the American West, an art that attracts not only great artists but passionate collectors, not only nostalgia buffs who revel in the history of the frontier but pragmatists who know that the life of the working cowboy is a solid reality in today's ranching industry. Featuring more than fifty celebrated painters and sculptors, Western Traditions paints a broad picture of this fine art category, showing where it has been, where it is now, and where it is going. Featuring such prominent artists as Glenna Goodacre, Gordon Snidow, Dave McGary, William Acheff, and Gary Niblett, this book belongs in every private and public art library, for it is an important reference as well as a rip-roaring good read.