Description:

Joe Beeler
Arizona / Missouri, (1931-2006)
Up the Trail, 1970
watercolor on paper
Signed lower left, inscription of dedication and signature verso.

Provenance: Sold by Altermann in Santa Fe in 2004

Biography from the Archives of askART
A founding member of the Cowboy Artists of America*, Joe Beeler was a pioneer in contemporary western art and is accomplished in both painting and bronzes. At annual exhibitions of the CAA, Beeler earned numerous Sculpture Awards: Silver, 2000; Gold 1993; Gold and Silver, 1990; Silver 1973; and Gold, 1971, 1969, and 1967. In 2001, he received the CAA Special Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was born on Christmas Day, 1931 in Joplin, Missouri and was early recognized as having art talent. He was raised in Oklahoma and Missouri and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kansas State Teachers College and continued studies at the Art Center School in Los Angeles.

He served in the Korean War and taught at Tulsa University and Kansas State Teachers College, which he later credited as giving him the art background he needed. His art career began with illustration assignments with the University of Oklahoma Press in Norman. He continued as a free-lance illustrator and began selling his work to ranchers.

A 1960 one-man show at the Thomas L Gilcrease Museum in 1960 launched his career of national acclaim, honors, and awards. From 1962, he and his family have lived in Sedona, Arizona where his studio has been on five acres of land. In 2002, he was selected by the family of Barry Goldwater, former United States Senator from Arizona, to sculpt the statue of the Senator for a one-acre park named for him at Tatum and Lincoln streets in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Joe Beeler died on April 26, 2006. The circumstances were fitting for this man whose life had been dedicated to memorializing the American west, especially his home state of Arizona. He died on his Sedona ranch of a heart attack while dragging calves to a branding fire. "No cowboy could ask for a better way to go than being horseback and with his boots on. Mr. Beeler died doing what he loved."

Sources include:
Files of the Phoenix Art Museum Library
CA Cowboy Artists of America 44th Annual Exhibition, 2009, Cowboy Artists of America and The Phoenix Art Museum.
Art of the West
Southwest Art
Obituary, Red Rock News, Sedona, Arizona, May 3, 2006, courtesy, Fran Elliott, Art Collector and Historian, Sedona

  • Dimensions: 19 1/2"H x 15 3/4"W(sight), 26 1/4"H 22 1/4"W(frame)
  • Medium: watercolor on paper

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Shipping and removal are the sole responsibility of the buyer. Shipping is available by request through a third party shipping service, Shipping Saint. Please contact our office if you would like to arrange your own shipping. Buyers will not automatically receive a shipping invoice. You will be sent a separate invoice for shipping once your initial invoice is paid and your items are packed and ready to ship. Shipping is invoiced via Shipping Saint and cannot be combined with your auction invoice.
Shipping Saint can be contacted at [email protected] or via phone, 317-644-6088.
PICKUP: Pickup is by appointment only. Items are subject to storage fees if they are not removed from premises within 10 business days. If items require shipping, arrangements and removal must be completed within 15 business days.

April 26, 2025 11:00 AM EDT
Indianapolis, IN, US

Ripley Auctions

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $199 $20
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 + $2,500