Roy Andersen
(American/Arizona, b. 1930)

"The Peacock", 1981

oil on canvas
signed and dated lower right, verso with a "Louann Ihde & Associates, Sedona, Arizona" label.
Presented in a polychrome frame affixed with an artist plaque.
24" x 36"

Provenance: Louann Ihde & Associates, Sedona, Arizona; Private collection.

Notes: A native of New Hampshire, Roy Anderson grew up on an apple farm before his family relocated to Illinois. Long fascinated by the romance and lore of the Old West, the young Anderson was intrigued by the artifacts of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. He attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Art and the Art Center School of Los Angeles, and spent the next several decades as one of the most sought-after commercial illustrators, working for such well-known publications as Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and National Geographic, and creating stamp series for the United States Postal Service. Never having lost his interest in the West, Anderson made the decision in mid-career to move to Arizona and concentrate on painting.

Known for his thorough research and painstaking attention to details, Anderson's work has been lauded for its accuracy. He uses a bold color palette, limited to only twenty or so colors, which emphasizes the browns, umbers, and rusts of the Western terrain, and infuses his work with a brilliant light.

Anderson has been the recipient of numerous awards, and his paintings are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute's National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., among other institutions.