Don Weller's Artwork on Display at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum

Don Weller, an award-winning illustrator and Western Cowboy Artist, has a new gallery showing at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona, opening June 1 and running through October 6.

The exhibit, called Watercolor Cowboy: Don Weller's West, shows off 50 of Weller's pieces, which are watercolor and gouache paintings of cowboys and wranglers at work in the beautiful Western countryside. Weller's work has been critically acclaimed, winning over 20 awards since 2007, including Best of Show Water Media from the Western Artists Of America, "Best Watercolor" from 2007-2009 in the Western Spirit Art Show and Jones Award from the Bosque Arts Center in Clifton Texas

On Saturday, July 27, which is actually the National Day of the Cowboy, Weller will arrive at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum for a special reception put on by the museum.

"I'm very excited," Weller said. "The director of the museum (W. James Burns) became aware of my work and said, 'We have to have a show in here' and it was just as simple as that."

"It's a terrific cowboy museum," Weller said about the Desert Caballeros Western Museum. "It's got quite a fabulous collection of Western artwork - a lot of artifacts and really interesting items. It's really a nice museum if you like cowboys."

For the art connoisseur who loves cowboys, this gallery is the show to see with a possibility of taking one of Weller's work home. All of Weller's Cowboy and Western Art will be available for sale. Most paintings available are 15 X 20-inch pieces, though some larger, 22 by 28-inch artwork pieces will be available for purchase too.

Two pieces Weller is excited to showcase are "A Tweet from the Ancients" and "Waiting for the Word."

A Tweet from the Ancients is a 21 x 29 watercolor on Arches paper of a cowboy looking at an old Indian petroglyph message on a rock wall. The scene is captured from a distance as to show how insignificant the petroglyphs appear from far away. Weller said if you look closely, you can see the secret message.

Waiting for the Word is a 20.5 x 28.5 watercolor on Arches about a Buffalo Roundup on Antelope Island. There are two cowboys waiting in the foreground with some scattered in the back along with snowcapped mountains serving as the backdrop. The cowboys are waiting to be told where the Buffalo are to be rounded up.

These are just two of the 50 paintings that will be on display. Each is an original and has its own story ready to be told in homes across America.

The gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10a.m. - 5 p.m. Ticket prices are $9 for adults, $7 for senior and AAA members, and free admission for active military and children 17 and under.

For more about Weller's art work, visit his website at DonWeller.com and click on the Desert Calaballeros Western Museum link. People are also encouraged to visit the museum's site at westernmuseum.org.

About Don Weller: Making a career as an illustrator for major publications and events, Weller's focus is now on creating western and cowboy art. Living in Utah, Weller is exposed to the great scenery of the West and he tries to encapsulate that all of his pieces. Weller resides with his wife Cha Cha, their Border Collie Buster, two cats, and several horses bred and trained to cut.