Denver-based artist William Matthews is best known for his watercolor paintings of cowboys. But his interest gallops beyond traditional images of horses and guys in chaps; Matthews depicts objects like oil drums and even a lollipop as he breaks through clichéd imagery to reflect the contemporary American West. His paintings are featured in a new exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. William Matthews: Trespassing runs until May 17, 2015, and includes 27 works, ranging from the artist’s early career to his recent works. The museum also features a documentary that follows Matthews as he prepares for the exhibit.

William Matthews: Trespassing is on view until May 17 in the Gates Family Gallery on Level 2 of the Frederic C. Hamilton Building; the exhibition is included in general admission.

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Galloping beyond the cliché

by Sarah Tory, High Country News
February 2, 2015

<h1>Galloping beyond the cliché</h1> <p class="byline">by Sarah Tory, High Country News <br />February 2, 2015</p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"> <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure> <img alt="matthews-william-bottle-tops-jpg" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-83473" data-id="83473" src="https://country-survey-collabs.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Matthews-William-Bottle-Tops.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">William Matthews (American, b. 1949), Bottle Tops, 2005. Watercolor on paper; 39-1/2 x 43-3/4 in. </figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure> <img alt="matthews-william-hard-candy-jpg" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-83474" data-id="83474" src="https://country-survey-collabs.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Matthews-William-Hard-Candy.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">William Matthews (American, b. 1949), Hard Candy, 1995. Watercolor on paper.</figcaption></figure> </li> </ul> <p> <a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><br /> <a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><br /> <a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a></p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div> </p></div> </p></div> <p>Denver-based artist William Matthews is best known for his watercolor paintings of cowboys. But his interest gallops beyond traditional images of horses and guys in chaps; Matthews depicts objects like oil drums and even a lollipop as he breaks through clichéd imagery to reflect the contemporary American West. His paintings are featured in a new exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. <i>William Matthews: Trespassing</i> runs until May 17, 2015, and includes 27 works, ranging from the artist’s early career to his recent works. The museum also features a documentary that follows Matthews as he prepares for the exhibit.</p> <p><em>William Matthews: Trespassing</em> is on view until May 17 in the Gates Family Gallery on Level 2 of the Frederic C. Hamilton Building; the exhibition is included in general admission.</p> <div class="wp-block-group hcn-print-edition-box"> <p>This article appeared in the <a href="/?p=187273">print edition of the magazine</a> with the headline <span class="hcn-magtitle">Galloping beyond the cliché</span>.</p> </p></div> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://country-survey-collabs.info/issues/47-2/galloping-beyond-the-cliche/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://country-survey-collabs.info Country News&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.hcn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-HCN_Logo-Monogram_White_Sq-2.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;quality=100&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://country-survey-collabs.info/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=117916&amp;amp;ga4=G-0NS3WVPPTN&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://country-survey-collabs.info/issues/47-2/galloping-beyond-the-cliche/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/hcn.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</p> Copy to Clipboard

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