Robert "Shoofly" Shufelt is the Friends of Western Art's 2011 Artist of the Year.
Robert Shufelt is the accomplished exponent of the pencil whose art work has gained worldwide recognition. His drawings hang in prestigious collections and museums, and are featured on covers and articles for major western art and ranching publications, as well as national network television documentaries.
The artist has written and published three books and his lithographs continue to win international graphic art awards. His drawings were honored in 2005 by the Prix de Wests, American Cowboy Award at the at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
A drawing is not only the bare bones of an artist's craft, its physical evidence of his insight and perception. Shoofly's drawings are celebrations of a dreamer who has allowed his dream to become a reality with all its grit and honesty, yet still finds the experience to be endlessly interesting and satisfying.
An artist's vision of cowboys as they can only be around another cowboy, unposed and unselfconscious. He portrays cowboys who practice their vision of superiority in whatever they do, leaving it up to the rest of us to determine whether they're working or playing. These disciples of the cowboy way are Shoofly's top hands, his drawings are forever honored through their friendship.
The artist and his wife Julie reside on a small ranch nestled in the foothills of The Black Range, in Hillsboro, NM.
The 2011 Artist of the Year Lithograph
One of five Shoofly originals auctioned during the "Artist of the Year" event.