Dye, Charlie, 1906-1972

Originally a rancher in Canon City, Colorado, Dye was not always a western artist. Due to a riding accident at age twenty-one, Dye took a break from the ranch. This accident led to his decision to try his hand at painting. Influenced by Russell reproductions he traveled from Canon City to Chicago to attend art school. In 1936, he moved to New York City to become a magazine illustrator. He painted covers and illustrations for many major publications.

In 1960, he moved back West to Sedona, Arizona, where he gained a great deal of recognition for his oil paintings of western scenes. In 1964, Charlie Dye, Joe Beeler, and John Hampton established the Cowboy Artists of America. The group still is active today and they are devoted to the painting and sculpture tradition of western artists, Charles Russell and Frederic Remington. These western artists not only depict cowboys in their paintings, but were working cowboys themselves. Charlie Dye is considered one of the top traditional western painters in the world.