Phippen, George

With little formal education and no training in art at all apart from three months with Henry Balink in Santa Fe after World War II, George Phippen still somehow managed to parlay his intimate knowledge of how the West looked and felt into a contract to illustrate catalogues for Brown and Bigelow. Illustration was Phippen’s way in and soon he was making a living painting and sculpting the American West. Phippen, the first President of the Cowboy Artists of America, once said, “The art game, which includes illustrating, fine art, and cartooning is considered about the toughest business there is. I compare it with music, writing, and acting. They are mighty hard to get into but no job holds the freedom the arts do once you make the grade.”