Theodore Waddell: Spirit of the Modern West

The spirit of the west is alive and well on the working ranch of artist Theodore Waddell. I was recently invited to his studio for a visit and was immediately impressed by how prolific he is as an artist.  




Stacks of canvases fill a corner of the studio.



My favorite piece ...this little bronze horse and rider.

Above is a detail of the heavy texture and thick application of paint that carries Waddell's work beyond the Western genre and into a more contemporary realm of art.

a new work in progress hangs on the studio wall

The studio, located on a small ranch in central Idaho, is housed in an actual barn that is also home to his many horses.  In the back is a large area devoted to painting where generous mounds of oil paint line a well-used worktable and several works-in-progress hang on the surrounding walls.



oil paint laid out in mounds larger than my fist spreads out across a worktable



works in progress



an eclectic studio view looking over the area used for print making

In addition to paintings, Waddell is a writer, sculptor and print maker with a fully functioning press at one end of his studio and a separate metal shop in the room next door. Nothing is off limits to Waddell, who once incorporated into one of his paintings the carcass of a coyote he found as road kill.


The inventive use of a road-kill coyote that was incorporated into a painting.

another work in progress

Clearly inspired by his life in the West but rooted in a fine arts background, Waddell’s work straddles genres and can hold its own in a more a contemporary art setting. His work is included in many museum collections and he is represented by several major fine art galleries. For more information visit his website: TheodoreWaddell.com