2002 Prix de West Collectors' Bolo by William Reese

William Foster Reese was selected to sculpt the 2002 Collectors’ Bolo for the Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale. His design features the powerful head of a horse, cast in bronze with a dark patina that emphasizes the bold modeling and expressive form, an homage to one of the artist’s lifelong passions.

A painter of Western genre, Reese (1938-2010) was raised on his family’s cattle ranch in central Washington. That early immersion in ranch life fostered a lasting love of horses, which became a recurring subject in many of his works across media. While best known for his Western scenes, his oeuvre also includes landscapes, still lifes, and marine subjects.

Reese studied at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and Washington State University in Pullman. His earliest lessons in art came from his grandmother, who introduced him to drawing using Charles Lederer’s Drawing Made Easy. “I still have it,” Reese once said, “or what’s left of it. I devoured that book.”

Although oil painting was his primary medium, Reese was a versatile artist who also worked in watercolor, pastel, sculpture, etching, and lithography. His career was marked by both technical mastery and a deep sensitivity to subject matter, earning him national recognition and a devoted following. The 2002 bolo stands as a lasting tribute to Reese’s ability to capture the strength, grace, and character of the American West.