Larsen Gallery will host the Cattle Track Legends from February 11th to March 31st at the Old Town gallery.
Arizona has a rich history of housing artists and the historic Cattle Track compound is no exception as it was, and is, the home and studio of three of Arizona’s most iconic artists, Philip C. Curtis, Fritz Scholder and Mark McDowell.
In the coming months, Curtis’s striking portrayals in his magic realism paintings as well as stunning drawings on birch wood by Mark McDowell will be presented at the Larsen Gallery exhibition.
And Scholder’s 1970s “real Indians” depicted in paintings and works on paper will also be on display at Cattle Track Legends and the exhibition will also coincide with Super Indian: Fritz Scholder at the Phoenix Art Museum starting late February and features many of his most iconic work from the 1970s.
Enigma is a word often associated with Philip C. Curtis’s psychological paintings which often leave more questions than answers for viewers. His more than 500 paintings and many more drawings and watercolors, as well as his influence on a host of local artists, deemed him the dean of Arizona artists. Curtis was a founder of the Phoenix Art Museum and lived at Cattle Track from 1947 until his death in 2000.
Fritz Scholder was also an enigma in that he never wanted to be known as an “Indian painter” and yet his most sought after works are his early paintings showing what he termed “real Indians.”
In these works, clichés were broken down and Natives were often portrayed in contrast to the romanticized images of past. His signature images became Indian cowboys, Native Americans wrapped in American flags and other controversial images such as Indian at the Bar, depicting a Native American with a Coors can of beer. Scholder moved to Cattle Track in 1972 and lived there until his death in 2005.
A relative newcomer to the Cattle Track Arts Compound compared to Curtis and Scholder, Mark McDowell moved to Cattle Track in 1994. He built his own home on the property using recycled materials from various sources.
He has maintained his painting and drawing studio as well and founded Tiny Satellite Press for the publication of artist’s works including books, catalogs, portfolios and photographs in tiny editions ever since. McDowell was friends with both Curtis and Scholder and collaborated with Fritz Scholder to produce his last etchings prior to his death.
Scottsdale’s history is enriched with the story of the formation and expansion of the Cattle Track Arts Compound from the 1930’s till today. Many artisans, writers, performers and even statesmen lived, created or performed on the Cattle Track property. The collaborative and artistic efforts of the Ellis family, beginning with George and Rachel and continuing with their daughter Janie, provided countless artists to thrive in the desert with notables Philip C. Curtis, Fritz Scholder and Mark McDowell among them.
