Charlie Dye (American, 1906-1972) Maverick oil on board signed Charlie Dye (lower right) 27 x 36 inches Charlie Dye, Joe Beeler, John Hampton, and George Phippen came up with the idea of the Cowboy Artists of America back in 1964, while on a roundup together. Of his own art, Dye- with characteristic self-deprecation- observed, "I have always tried to paint what I can remember of a life a led before I became dishonest and studied art. My old man could have forgiven me if I had turned out playing piano in a whorehouse, but artists rated one step below pimps in his book." For Dye, authenticity reigns over all, though in a superb painting like Maverick, we see balance in composition and attention to the beauty of nature running a close second. -James D. Balestrieri