Based in Stamford, Texas, the heart of the Texas ranch country, Wayne Baize paints a way of life influenced by generations of family ancestors that have lived and worked close to the land.  His oil paintings portray the every day routine of the working cowboy, both past and present.

Baize is the son of a cotton and wheat farmer, and his early artistic talent did not go unnoticed by his parents, who enrolled him in private art lessons from the age of twelve to seventeen.   In high school, Baize took art classes from Sarah McDonald, who had studied with Frank Tenney Johnson.

His professional career began in 1966 with his first one-man show in the lobby of a savings and loan.   It was a sell-out, and ever since, Baize has made a living from his art.  One year later, Baize met Cowboy Artist Tom Ryan, who became not only a mentor, but also an inspiration to the young artist.

Baize followed further in Ryan's footsteps, as he was invited to join the Cowboy Artists of America in 1995, and in 1997, he was the recipient of the Silver Medal for Drawing at the CAA exhibition.  An exhibitor at the Masters of the American West Exhibition and Sale held at the Gene Autry Museum, he has been featured in Art of the West, Southwest Art, Western Horseman, Equine Images and more. Baize's work was also selected for the collection of the 2002 Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage show.

Baize describes his artistic style as "semi-loose" with color choices leaning toward earth tones. "I use a lot of black and gray, with an occasional accent of pure color," he explains.  And he hastens to add that his true love in all of his paintings is the animals.  He jokes, "The only reason I put people in my paintings is to provide an excuse to paint the animals."

Baize and his wife Ellen live on a ranch near Fort Davis, Texas.  Part of a much larger panorama, it's a wild and rocky country where yucca and prickly pear reign supreme.  However, through his art, Baize tames the wilderness, and in doing so conveys the subtle and rugged beauty of the West Texas life he loves.

Biography from Altermann Galleries and Auctioneers

Reference:

Cowboy Artists of American publication