Western Art Collector – August 2026

Summary

E. Martin Hennings painted The Round-Up at 35 by 129 inches for the American National Bank in Austin, Texas, and Western Art Collector August 2026 sends it to Lone Star Art Auction with a $350,000 to $450,000 estimate, one of three commissioned ranch scenes in the issue.

J. Dylan Cavin, Choctaw, holds the cover with Waiting on the Tax Collector, ink and colored pencil on an original ledger document at 34½ by 22 inches, from Acosta Strong Fine Art in Santa Fe, with his feature at page 78. Scottsdale Art Auction follows on August 21 and 22 with over 500 works and more than 85 percent of lots sold at no reserve.

Galleries and estimates fill the rest. Maxwell Alexander Gallery shows Ed Mell's Forms of a Storm at 12 by 16 and Rain Flash at 14 by 9.25, Gallery Wild runs four solo receptions from August 6 to September 18, Altamira Fine Art lists Jerry Salinas's Sacred Connections at 72 by 36, and single copies sell at $10.95 against $55 for a year.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.78 · J. Dylan Cavin
Waiting on the Tax Collector is ink and colored pencil on an original ledger document, 34½ by 22 inches, and it holds the cover from Acosta Strong Fine Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Cavin is Choctaw, and the ledger support is the point rather than a surface choice. The issue points readers to the feature at page 78. Look at the ledger lines under the drawing before judging the work as a picture alone.

▸ Auctions

p. · Scottsdale Art Auction
The Annual Summer Auction runs August 21 and 22, 2026, with over 500 works of American, Western, wildlife and sporting art and over 85 percent of lots selling at no reserve. Consignments are already invited for April 9 and 10, 2027. Estimates in the issue run from Will James's 11 by 8 ink at $7,000 to $10,000 up to E. Martin Hennings at $50,000 to $75,000 and Ed Mell at $35,000 to $55,000. Register before the no-reserve lots clear on the first day.

p. · Lone Star Art Auction
Three E. Martin Hennings commissions come to Lone Star's Full Auction on October 31, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Texas George Washington Littlefield commissioned them from the Taos Society artist for the American National Bank in downtown Austin, depicting his ranches. The Round-Up and Cattle on the Move, both c. 1910 at 35 by 129 and 35 by 144 inches, carry $350,000 to $450,000 estimates; Thorough-Breds, c. 1910 at 35 by 119 inches from the Littlefield LFD Farm near Roswell, New Mexico, is $250,000 to $350,000. Arrange a viewing in Dallas before October 31.

▸ Galleries And Exhibitions

p. · Ed Mell
Maxwell Alexander Gallery shows Forms of a Storm, oil at 12 by 16, and Rain Flash, oil at 14 by 9.25. Two small works let the gallery display Mell's storm handling without a major canvas. Mell also appears at Scottsdale with a $35,000 to $55,000 estimate. Compare the small formats against the auction estimate for the same money.

p. · Gallery Wild
Four solo exhibitions with receptions: Nealy Riley on Thursday, August 6 from 5 to 8pm, Christy Stallop on Friday, September 11 from 5 to 7pm, Amber Blazina on Wednesday, September 16 from 2 to 5pm, and Carrie Wild on Friday, September 18 from 4 to 7pm. The gallery's roster is listed top to bottom as Nealy Riley, Christy Stallop, Amber Blazina and Carrie Wild. Put August 6 in first, since the others fall after this issue's date.

p. · New West Rising
Cyrus Walker, Tanden Launder and Jacob Lovett show together in New West Rising, running August 18 to September 1, 2026 with a reception on August 21 from 5 to 7pm. A three-artist group show is where emerging prices get set. Walker, Launder and Lovett are also named among the rising artists in the publishers' letter. Attend the August 21 reception if you are tracking who enters the market next.

p. · Jared Sanders
Sanders exhibits August 4 to 18, 2026 with a reception on August 7 from 5 to 7pm, and his The View From the Road appears among the issue's artwork details. An exhibition running while the issue is on sale is a genuine current listing. Check the dates before travelling, since the run ends mid-August.

p. · Miles Glynn
Glynn shows August 11 to 25, 2026 with a reception on August 14 from 5 to 7pm, and Lost Cowboy No. 35 is listed among the artwork details. The numbering in the title suggests a series, which is worth asking about. See the reception rather than the closing week if you want the full hang.

p. · Dyana Hesson and Jennifer Johnson
The pair exhibit August 25 to September 8, 2026 with a reception on August 28 from 5 to 7pm, and Johnson's Neon Cowboy appears in the artwork details. Two artists sharing a run usually means a theme, though the issue does not state one. Compare Neon Cowboy against the other contemporary Western titles here.

p. · Altamira Fine Art
Santa Fe Trails, established 1992, lists Sacred Connections by Jerry Salinas, oil at 72 by 36, and Dawn of America by Vic Payne, a Masterwork limited edition of 35 at 24 by 12. A stated edition size on the Payne tells buyers how the price is set. Ask what the Salinas trades at before assuming the size sets it.

▸ Departments

p. · Letter from the Publishers
The letter names emerging artists Taryn Boals, Sara Bloodwol, Kyril Bruce DeFoor, Tanden Launder, Nealy Riley, Cyrus Walker, Jacob Lovett and Anton Pavenko, then sets them beside established names Bill Anton, Tom Browning, G. Russell Case, Walt Gonske, Martin Grelle, Logan Maxwell Hagege, Bonnie Morris, Grant Redden, Jason Rich and Billy Schenck. Eighteen names in one letter is a working index of the current market. Circle the emerging names before the established ones.

p. · Editor's Letter
The editor reports from the Phoenix-area office and lists a panel of guests: Curt Walters, Sally Black, Arthur Lopez, Susan Folwell, Michael Grauer, Marla Allison, Ezra Tucker, Jim Vogel and Ryan Suazo. Nine panellists across painters, a santera and a curator makes it a real cross-section. Note who is on it before the next panel announcement.

p. · Event Calendar
August 6 opens with Nealy Riley's reception, August 15 and 16 bring Santa Fe Indian Market with the magazine attending, August 21 and 22 hold the Scottsdale Art Auction, and October 31 closes on Lone Star in Dallas. Four dated events in one calendar make it usable. Diarise Santa Fe Indian Market first, since it falls between the two auctions.

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Editor's Take

The auction coverage is why this issue exists. Lone Star sends three E. Martin Hennings commissions to Dallas on October 31 with dimensions up to 35 by 144 inches and estimates reaching $450,000, Scottsdale runs August 21 and 22 with over 500 works and 85 percent at no reserve, and the estimates throughout are specific: Will James's ink at $7,000 to $10,000, Hennings at $50,000 to $75,000, Ed Mell at $35,000 to $55,000. J. Dylan Cavin's ledger-document cover from Acosta Strong is the most interesting object here. The weakness is structure. There is no contents page, no issue number is printed anywhere, and no page numbers accompany the gallery and exhibition listings, so the issue reads as a stack of advertisements and calendars with four artist names attached to works the text never describes. At $10.95 a copy against $55 a year, that is a lot of calendar.

Strengths
• Hennings commissions documented with dimensions, ranches, bank and estimates
• Scottsdale's 500 works and 85 percent no-reserve figure is a real number
• Estimates given across a range from $7,000 to $450,000

Weaknesses
• No contents page and no issue number printed anywhere in the issue
• Gallery and exhibition listings carry no page numbers or descriptions

Verdict: Selective read — the auction entries and estimates justify it; the gallery listings are calendars without content.