Bill Baron. Even his name conjures an image of life lived in the West. Tattered reins in hands, baling wire in the back of the dust-covered pickup, resting one roping horse while continuing to work on another. But that isn’t quite the case. For all of his talent in capturing those iconic images on his canvases, Bill Baron is more artist than cowboy.
“I was a cowboy for a brief time,” the multi-talented artist said from the confines of his home studio — one where nearly every surface exhibits his quality artwork. “The thing is, it’s a lot of hard work.”
It’s not that Baron is opposed to hard work, but married to his wife, Mary Ann, for 66 years with three children, he had to make other choices as the couple raised their family. And no, it wasn’t because Baron wanted — or needed — to be securely placed in his comfort zone. Baron is one of the few people who prefers the “Wild West” of living life — the contained comfort zones are fine for other people.
“I don’t stay too long in one comfort zone — I’d rather step out and create another one,” he reflected.
Baron is the featured artist this month at Sage Fine Art Gallery. “The Western Art of Bill Baron” will include 35 paintings primarily oil on canvas and watercolors with some giclées as well. Every month the gallery features one of their resident artists, and Baron has been part of the Sage Fine Art family for four years. His Western art will be featured throughout October, but the artist is already planning for his next featured exhibit.
“It seemed right to show my Western pieces this month but next time my show will be different — it will include nudes and some of my other more experimental work.”
For a young boy who grew up on Chicago’s notorious south side, it can be easy to see the connection to contemporary artwork — but Western scenes?
“I was 12 years old when my older cousin gave me a book called, ‘The Book of Cowboys’. It was the first time I saw a[n] horno and so many pictures of cowboys and their horses. We lived on the other side of the stockyards in Chicago and that book and seeing those cattle — it left a big impression on me.”
Turns out, it’s not so much the cowboy images that call to Baron. “It’s actually the horses,” he explained. There’s a lack of pretentiousness about that lifestyle and you can’t get any more real than a horse. My Western art is more about the horses than the humans.”
Spend any time with Baron and you’ll also spend time with his well-developed sense of humor. His laughter is free and easy — contagious, even. As we walked around his studio, his levity close to the surface was usurped only by his discernible genuineness. It became quickly clear Baron, who has long been recognized for his prolific and lifelike Western art, has talent that surpasses painting humans on horses. His studio includes everything from etchings and humorous drawings and paintings, the aforementioned nudes, pen-and-ink drawings, oils, acrylics, and even work that incorporates haiku.
“I guess I started doing this art thing when I was a kid,” he said. “I moved to Taos from New York City. I was in business for 30 years because art didn’t butter the biscuit.” Most of us like our biscuits buttered and through his dedication to his craft (aka, “art thing”), Baron seems to have found the right recipe. His work has been exhibited in other local galleries including Art Divas Gallery, the Blumenschein, Gallery Encantada, and Natural Accents. Currently, his work can only be seen at Sage Fine Art or by contacting him for a personal home studio tour.
Sage Fine Art Gallery is located on the East Taos Plaza and is often recognized for its artist member wall seen from the sidewalk. The gallery can be reached at 575-758-9396 and is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Baron’s exhibit will be featured in the center of the gallery until Oct. 31. For more information, visit billbaronfineart.com.
