10/04/2026
🎨🖼️ | 2026 DIRECTOR’S CHOICE – “American Cowboy: Okeechobee” by Barbara Z. Lyons, acrylic on canvas
I love to see artists move past boundaries and encounter new creative challenges. Staying safe, feeling comfortable, that’s all fine and good (and yes it can pay the bills), but it feels artistically healthy to sit with that itch, make space for that question, explore different directions that might lead you to new discoveries. When I walked through the galleries this year to make my one selection for a few moments under the spotlight, it was this painting that felt like a trailhead, an invitation to walk a new path.
“American Cowboy: Okeechobee” started as something like a studio exercise, experimenting with the formal qualities of reducing the world into neutral shades of black, grey, and white. Artists have done this for centuries, sometimes as an initial stage before glazing layers of color on top (there’s a French word for this, grisaille), and sometimes purely as a monochromatic study in light and tone that might be more revealing.
Barbara Z. Lyons carefully breaks down this well-composed scene of a young child, beaming at the viewer in his back country wear. The abstract shapes and dappled shade of the back- and midground are in subtle contrast to the foreground, with the scumbled care of the highlights of his shirt and fine, textural treatment of his jeans in shadow. The artist makes a key choice not to delve into the infinite possibilities of gradations, but instead purposefully limits the palette to only a few values.
This decision (especially evident in the shadows of the boy’s face) recalls Andy Warhol and others, providing just enough visual information to make a bold recognition without the overload of detail. The final touch then breaks with the neutral reverie … the brief but unmistakable addition, in full and vibrant color, of the bottom edge of an unfurled star-spangled banner. Placed above the subject’s head, the bright red and white gives the viewer a sharp marker to find your way in this new but familiar landscape. And with the stripes of the original colonies echoing the linear fenceline in the background of this farmstead out west, it’s easy to reflect on the American Semiquincentennial this year, childhood memories, and a new generation smiling up at us.
“Best of the Best” is in its 45th year in this special exhibition, with many beautiful and interesting artistic choices on display. I invite you to scratch the itch, venture a little past your comfort zone for a rewarding visit as we embark upon an exciting Season 66 with your important and continuing support.
— J. Marshall Adams, Executive Director
Wed-Sat 10-4, Sun 12-4
October 4 is FREE ADMISSION!
ℹ️ Traffic Notice: https://www.backusmuseum.org/traffic-notice
