Max Mallie's Blog: In the Footsteps of Frank Reaugh

Contemporary artists continue to find inspiration in the work of Frank Reaugh (1860-1945), an artist who documented—primarily in pastel—the landscape of the Southwest at the turn of the century and the spirit of the Texas cattle drive in particular. One such fan is Jeri Salter, an Austin-based pastel artist who, in 2014, traced the artist’s travels, painting at the locations Reaugh visited on his legendary sketch trips. Earlier this year, Salter presented 30 of those works in a one-woman show at William Reaves Fine Art Gallery in Houston.

We asked the artist to tell us what it is she admires most about the pioneering pastelist, Frank Reaugh:

“I admire the way he lived his art. He knew from an early age that he wanted to earn a living as an artist, and he did that very much on his own terms. It wouldn’t be true to say he painted in a vacuum without outside teachings and influences, but so much of what he learned came from direct observation and painting on his own. He painted a vast amount of small plein air pieces that, to me, seem like small love notes to the landscapes he lived in”

You can read more about her experience in the October 2015 issue of Pastel Journal, available here and on newsstands. Meanwhile, enjoy this sampling of pastel landscapes that grew out of her project: