A Look at the old west through the paintings of Fred Oldfield with his daughter, Joella

Swimming Upstream Radio Show

Fred Oldfield grew up with his large family on Washington State's Yakima Indian reservation. He was generally conceded to be the premier western painter of the last 50 years. This series will look at the old west through the cowboy artist’s eyes.

Initially Fred had no idea of being an artist but one day he painted a bull thistle on the bunkhouse wall. His big brother said, "What did you want to paint that for? It's just a thistle." Fred was thrilled that the subject had been recognized and after that, he always thought of himself as an artist. Soon the world agreed. His paintings are owned and loved all over the world.

The painting we're showing today - Prisoners of Wounded Knee was Fred's own favorite of all his paintings. The Wounded Knee Massacre, in 1890, resulted in the deaths of over 200 Lakota people, including women and children, by U.S. Army soldiers.

The tenderness with which he depicts the figures in the painting comes from his own memories of reservation life.

Fred Oldfield is remembered today in his paintings and in the children's art lessons taught at the Western Heritage Center. 100 kids come every week and in the small classes, 12 to 15 max. Some have gone on to study art in college - and three have returned to the Western Heritage Center to teach. The Fred Oldfield Western Heritage Center was housed at the Washington State Fairgrounnds for many years, but it is now looking for a new home.

Watch Dorothy's interview with Fred Oldfield while he was still at the Western Heritage Center.

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