Kentucky-based artist Jeremy Booth paints the American West with a modern twist.
With Yellowstone leading the way and even Beyoncé donning a cowboy hat, a new generation is embracing the Western lifestyle. Now renowned digital artist and painter Jeremy Booth is taking his cowboy turn.
“Western pop” is how Booth defines his work. “Pop art with a Western flair. Bright colors. Deep blacks. Like Andy Warhol painted cowboys.” Imagine, say, Warhol merged with Billy Schenck.
These are traditional, iconic images of horseback cowboys, cattle drives, gunfighters, and the like that have a timeless appeal. The depiction, though, is anything but strictly traditional. Bright colors juxtaposed with dark shadows often black out faces and lend a certain intrigue. Just who are these cowboys?
“When we photograph cowboys, most of the time you can’t recognize those guys underneath their hat because of the dark shadows, so I really lean into that,” Booth explains. “I also like the idea of not giving too much detail into the face. That cowboy could be anybody. It leaves it up to the interpreter who it could be.”
Based in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Booth, who has been focusing on Western subject matter for two years, works from photographs that he and his professional photographer wife, Tabitha, shoot on their trips to ranches. A friendship with Western artist Robert Hagan paved the way. “He kind of became a mentor of mine,” Booth says. “He said, ‘I’m going out to Kansas, and I’d love for you to come with me—I’ll show you the ropes of how I create reference material and subject matter.’” Booth jumped at the chance and today credits that experience will elevating his artwork and making him feel at home in the genre. “I know in a lot of ways, my style is very different. But in the cowboy and ranching community, I’ve felt very welcome. And I’m very grateful for that.”
Creative from an early age, the 37-year old taught himself photoshop in high school, then learned Adobe illustrator. Starting out as a graphic designer, he spent his 20s working as a commercial illustrator and artist for brands like Apple, Amazon, and Nike. When he began selling NFTs of his own digital artwork, he found a receptive audience and a new calling. “People started buying my artwork, and I thought, This is so satisfying, to be able to produce what I want, do my own thing, and not worry about client work anymore.”
That interest, he says, “blew up” in a good way. “I got that feeling of what it feels like to be a fine artist, and that inspired and encouraged me to start painting.” He’d always been interested in cowboys and turned his artistic gaze west. Influences such as the late Arizona painter Ed Mell and contemporary Western art rock star Mark Maggiori informed his new work. “Maggiori’s craft is completely different from mine,” Booth says. “But the unconventional way that he portrays Western art inspired me to try it of my own accord, in my own way. There are some people pushing the envelope of traditional Western art to integrate different styles that are more contemporary. I’m just happy to be among them.”
Yet even in Booth’s more modern approach, the heart of what the American West is all about shines through. “Hard work, independence, adventure, bravery, simplicity,” he says. “Those are the themes I’m trying to evoke in my own way in my artwork.”
That evocation transports not just the viewer but also the artist. “I remember being at the ranch in Kansas and taking a break for a moment. Seeing a vast landscape and horses … it was, Wow—look how beautiful this place is! If I can give small instances to people of that moment, then I’ve achieved what I’m trying to do in my own style.”
Jeremy Booth’s one-man show is on view February 7 through March 17 at Square One Gallery in St. Louis. For more information, visit squareonegallery.com and jeremy-booth.com.
Lead image: Desert Steel, 2024. 48 x 36 inches, acrylic on canvas.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Tabitha Booth