Teal Blake was born in 1978 and grew up surrounded by Montana ranching country on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. Growing up in his father’s studio looking at C.M. Russell paintings and reading Will James books inspired him to pick up a pencil and start capturing his own visions of cowboys and the American West.

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Teal has been painting professionally since 2005 and believes he was predestined to become a Western artist. Teal has always liked to show what makes the traditional West: cowboys not always clean-shaven, shirts not always creased, and their horses’ manes not always long.

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His love for the tradition of ranching and cowboying is unparalleled—up before dawn gathering the cavvy, camping out on the wagon for weeks, and playing cards with the crew during a rainstorm. Blake’s portrayal of ranch life and the handful of people keeping it alive is authentic. He is able to capture his material and inspiration first-hand by simply being fortunate enough to work and ride alongside his friends and muses. No models, no costumes.

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Teal’s labor talent and accomplishments earned him induction into the renowned Cowboy Artists of America in 2014. He has also been honored with several awards, including the Joe Beeler CAA Foundation Award and 1st Place Watercolor at the Phippen Museum. Teal has been featured in such magazines as Western Horseman, Western Art & Architecture, Southwest Art, Ranch & Reata and The Cowboy Way.

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In 2011 Teal created “We Pointed Them North,” a Fort Worth art show celebrating the memoirs of Teddy “Blue” Abbott. Teal’s work appeared on the cover of Big Bend Saddlery catalogue in 2012 and 2013. His painting “Morning Gather” was used for the cover of Some Horses by Thomas McGuane.

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Teal and his son Luca reside in Fort Worth, TX.

 

View his website at tealblake.com