In the late 1970s, my parents rented or purchased (pretty sure they purchased, but I’ll have to get back to you on that) the Cottonwood, Arizona property of famous painter, cowboy, and overall wildman, Lon Megargee. Which was a pretty big deal to Farnsworth. A young painter with big dreams, painting in the same studio as one of his heros.
When I found this image, I was ecstatic. First off, how cool were my parents?! haha But also, that space. From the natural light to the high ceilings. The way they hung cultural artifacts on the walls. That crazy rug. But besides the rad 70s decor, there are a few other things of note here…
The painting on the easel on the right, Native Drummers, having been in a private collection, was recently reacquired by the Farnsworth estate after all these years. Oil pastel on masonite board, painted in that studio in 1978. It’s really amazing to see the context, don’t you think?
(24VOP-46-007-78)
Another important thing worth noting is the painting of a couple, on the easel right behind my folks. Farnsworth was always interested in street photography. And in painting street scenes, particularly the people. This interest carried through his entire life. From photography to painting and back to photography. He photographed people all over the world. Some he painted, some he didn’t. But he never stopped shooting.
The last thing I want to point out here is that they’re holding a painted bison skull. But here’s what’s crazy. I’ve been looking at that bison skull my entire life. Because Farnsworth had some kind of incredible continuity to his life. More of that will emerge as we go. But the bison skull, still hangs in his office as I write this. And he’s painted it several times over the years. I believe it was a gift from an artist friend.
Above the trunk on the left is a Navajo doll. A similar one has been the subject of several paintings over the years, and still hangs at Ravenstrack (linkit).
Farnsworth was a horse trader (linkit) and would often take off on a trip across the country with a couple of dollars in his pocket, some paintings under his arm, and some artifacts he’d traded for previously, ready to trade for something else.
Honestly it kind of reminds me of Mark Maggiori’s Taos studio that I saw on Instagram a while back! Just me?
Building the Farnsworth 