It all started in September 2021, when Western artist Sonya Terpening was honored as a distinguished alumni at an Oklahoma State University (OSU) football game. When her name and image were flashed on the jumbotron at halftime, another alumni and major supporter OSU, recognized her and realized he had purchased one of her works several years earlier. He decided to do some research into her art career.

At the time, Terpening was in the third major evolution of her style. After earning an art degree from OSU, she had begun her career as a Western watercolor artist and had achieved nationwide recognition, exhibiting at prestigious art shows, including the Prix de West, the Masters of the American West, and the Gilcrease Retrospective. Her paintings were also in the permanent collections of several major museums throughout the country.

In 2001, during the second stage of her career, Terpening moved from using watercolors to oils. During the following years, she exhibited almost photo-realistic narrative Western works in both mediums.

Read the full article in the March/April 2023 issue.

The Ranch Headquarters

Oil
30″ by 40″