Raised in Oklahoma, Clayton Beavers is a self-taught painter inspired by the contrasting conversation that defines his home. Clayton explores this conversation of The West and Indian Territory, as well as the historical and Hollywood narratives that depict Natives and working cowboys which still occupy the land today.
Statement
“After spending my formative years in Oklahoma, I lived a few years each in Austin, then Houston, TX, and New England. The years away from home raised so many questions about what it means to be from the West. Everywhere I went, people identified with their own aspect of the West—from stereotypes to legendary tales to scenery to historical relevance—but no matter what, it seemed everyone shared some relation to the West.
“These shared experiences are the basis for my current work—how the western landscapes and characters developed over time and in the broader sense how we experience those same changes to this day. It can be easy to forget that cowboys and Indians exist today. My paintings set these characters in a transitional period—moments where the western landscape is constant but the conversation around the icons of cowboys and Indians is changing.”
– Clayton Beavers