Clymer, John

John Clymer’s journey from commercial artist to America’s chronicler of the Fur Trade and Mountain Man Era is itself a tale of exploration and adventure. In 1960, Clymer abandoned a successful and lucrative career and decided that he would try his hand at painting the historical West, a subject that fascinated him. He and his wife began to trace what was left of the early Trails–the Oregon, Bozeman, Chisholm, Overland Stage, Pony Express–as well as the path Lewis and Clark had taken, making close studies of the terrain, dress, manners, horses, dwellings, weapons and lives of the men and women, trappers and Indians of the early frontier days. Back in his studio, Clymer poured his findings onto his canvases, investing them with incredible energy.