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About the Host |
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Fred Oldfield was born in Alfalfa, Washington in 1918 and grew up on the Yakima
Indian Reservation. He never knew a permanent home during his early years and
held many jobs as he was growing up. Most often, he worked as a cowhand. He
remembers nights on the prairie so cold that he would literally set tumbleweeds
on fire to lie down in the warm spot they left behind. "You could sleep for
about two hours before the cold woke you up" he recalls. These early
experiences would later populate his paintings.
One day when he was 17, Fred painted a flower on a bunkhouse wall. He also
painted a frame around it and a nail to hang it on "and it really looked like a
thistle." From that day on, his ability was a secret no longer.
While in Alaska a few years later – and not quite making regular rent – he
began painting scenes on discarded linoleum tiles. His landlady began selling
his work, bringing in as much as $10 each – a fortune in 1941.
When World War II started, Fred joined the Army. There he became truly excited
about painting, decorating travelers’ leather jackets with patriotic scenes.
After the war, he attended art school in Seattle under the G.I. Bill and began
painting murals on walls in Alaska, Canada and the Northwest.
Buyers loved the landscapes of Mt. Rainier but it was Fred’s evocative western
paintings that became his trademark. He painted the crusty, rough and ready
cowhand that he'd known so well. His hard work paid off, as buyers began to
recognize the name of Fred Oldfield. In the latter half of 1964, Fred made an
incredible $4,500 selling artwork. In 1965, the figure jumped to $7,500. He was
on his way.
Today, collectors of Oldfield art can be found worldwide. He is acknowledged as
one of the premier painters of the American West. He has been active in his
community, in festivals and art shows throughout the Northwest, receiving
awards and honors and continuing to paint murals along the way.
Fred recently released a teaching video called "Paint Like a Cowboy," and now
KWSU-TV is proud to offer the television series PAINTING THE WEST WITH FRED
OLDFIELD, which features thirteen original artworks, painted by the artist in
front of the camera’s unblinking eye and demonstrating the undiminished
enthusiasm with which he tells his story through the magic of his brush. |
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