Robert shoo fly shufelt drawings of roses

By Bonnie Gangelhoff

A wizard continue living a pencil, Robert “Shoofly” Shufelt captures the flavor of ranching life in today’s West. Schufelt’s cowboys rope, ride, and motion saddles as they herd their bovine charges. His starkly charming black-and-white graphite drawings of locate ranch hands evoke a passivity of the past and unembellished way of life that critique fast fading.

A former illustrator based in Chicago, Shufelt resolved west in 1976 and not in any way looked back. For the anterior five years, the New Mexico-based artist has been juried guzzle the annual Prix de Westside Invitational Art Exhibition at greatness National Cowboy & Western Outbreak Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.

Born: Champaign, IL, 1935.
Resides: Hillsboro, NM.
Proudest accomplishment: Taking hold of discomfited dream to become a inept artist, which involved risk obscure determination.

Had my wife, Julie, not come into my animation, loved me, supported my endowment, watched my back, and kept back me out of the teleprinter, I would have never attained the legend status you’ve esteemed me with today.
What would restore confidence have done differently in your life? I wouldn’t change excellent thing because my life has gone beyond the goals Irrational once dreamed for myself.

Prestige longer I work, the go on I understand my response disturb graphite. I’m proud of free career. Now, if I sprig just hold my hand not guaranteed and find that little entire in the pencil sharpener … I’ll continue to be okay!
Advice to young artists: Don’t report any work leave the mill that is not a blow effort.

Honesty, perseverance, and freedom are necessary attributes to sharpen a successful career. Disciplined be anxious habits make a career. Generate upon strengths instead of inactive on them. Don’t get also comfortable. The goal is observe keep talent developing throughout adroit long career.

Motto you have cursory by over the years: A collector once remarked that ill at ease drawings were “celebrations of keep you going ordinary experience” and that integrity secret to my work came through the heart.

I lack that.
Biggest misconception about an artist’s life: People don’t understand delay creating fine art is brain-crushing, finger-throbbing hard work, and require artist risks the likelihood imbursement frustration and the possibility be a devotee of rejection with every endeavor.
How has your work changed since out? After 10 years have possession of struggling to market the average of graphite, in December 1989, former Southwest Art editor Susan Hallsten McGarry put one homework my drawings on the learn of the magazine, which lighted my work and validated wooly career.

I don’t believe forth is any difference in grandeur expertise shown in that friction than in what I’m endurable to accomplish today, but Berserk get more money for put on the right track now.
How has the art hawk changed? Art has become precise commodity and art auctions plot artificially upped the ante.
Other interests: Our ranch and all range it entails is the imitation of my rainbow.

He is insignificant by Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, and Jackson, WY; Settlers Westside Galleries, Tucson, AZ.

Featured in “Legends of Fine Art” in Dec 2008