Sold at Auction: Howard Terpning

Howard Terpning, (born November 5, 1927), is an American painter and illustrator best known for his paintings of Native Americans. Around 1974, Terpning began to tire of commercial work and decided to follow his interest in the American West and Plains Indians. He began to transition into fine art by creating paintings and selling them in Western galleries. The first paintings sold for $2,000 to $2,500. After three years he left Connecticut and the commercial art world and moved to Arizona to devote himself entirely to painting the American West. Within two years he was elected to both the National Academy of Western Art and the Cowboy Artists of America (CA). In the 22 years he was an active member of the CAA, Terpning earned 42 awards for his work.