James Boren (American, 1921 – 1990)
The son of a minister, James Boren came from a devoutly
religious family in Waxahachie, Texas. Most of Boren's early
years were spent in small West Texas towns such as Snider and
LaMesa, where his father served as a minister. Since most of
the Borens' acquaintenances were ranchers, young James became very
familiar with horses, cattle, and cowboys. When the family
moved to San Antonio, James became enamored with the Spanish
missions, which would later serve as prominent subject matter found
in many of his paintings. He served in the Marine Corps in
World War II and earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Fine
Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1951. Boren went
on to become the first curator of the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and was
inducted into the Cowboy Artists of America in the late
sixties.
He has become especially known for his watercolors that depict
scenes of the Old West with a nostalgic flair. Over the
course of his distinguished career, Boren earned an impressive 10
gold medals and six silver medals for his work at the Cowboy Artists of
America annual show. Asked how he would like to be
remembered, Boren once stated that " I hope to be remembered as
someone who went beyond just subject matter and did really fine
paintings-aesthetically pleasing art that would go in any home
because of its color, design, composition and mood." (The Cowboy Artists of America, p.
63)