Originally featured in Points West magazine in Spring 2011
Painting: Poultry Mashes by William Shepherd
A representative example of Wyoming native William Shepherd’s (b. 1943) latest body of work, Poultry Mashes, is a still life of western-themed objects. Shepherd purposefully positions his objects until a compelling composition emerges. The chosen visual relationship accentuates light and shadow and demonstrates the artist’s ability to photo-realistically depict various materials with different finishes: porcelain, canvas, silk, a woven blanket, and pottery.
Shepherd creates a social commentary in his work by simply observing objects that many have in their homes. In a style reminiscent of pop art, Poultry Mashes clearly tells us that booming tourism in the West has created a market for western kitsch—affordable, mass-produced remnants that travelers will use to remember and relive their experiences.
Shepherd captures the colorful, familiar charm of the objects, but a darker side, too—the cheapening influence of consumerism on the idyllic Old West. Artists used to be overwhelmed by the beauty of the natural landscape, the rugged excitement of cowboy culture, and the exotic magnificence of the Native Americans. Shepherd’s modern “portrait” shows the American West being overwhelmed by generic objects only vaguely inspired by the West’s true essence.
William Shepherd (b. 1943). Poultry Mashes, 2010. Oil on panel, 34 x 48 inches. Gift of The Alexander Bodini Foundation in memory of Alexander Bodini. 9.10
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