“Bob and my relationship goes beyond art, and I think that’s the important thing,” artist Robert Krogle says of his friend, Robert Rodriguez. “It’s art that has drawn us together and kept us together in this really unbelievable, close relationship that I think a lot of people wish they had in their lives.”  

Krogle and Rodriguez are both Western artists and will each be showing 15 to 20 available works at the Out West Art Show at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls, Montana, from March 20 to 22. They have known each other since the late 1960s when they both attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, California.  

Krogle struggled to find work for a year after graduating. Rodriguez was working at an illustration studio with Peter Palombi, and they were looking for another artist to join the team. Rodriguez first reached out to Krogle’s brother Jim, since they had been friends in school, and Jim suggested that Rodriguez to call Krogle. Krogle brought in his portfolio, started working at the studio, and the rest is history.  

“The scheduling and the working for these jobs and having them done properly really taught us a fast lesson on how to increase our skills and get better,” Krogle says. While they working together, the two men ended up being roommates for a few years and formed a friendship that would last decades.  

Rodriguez left the studio first, getting reps around the country to continue illustration work, and Krogle followed about six months later. Rodriguez would go on to work as an illustrator for more 50 years before turning to fine art in the 2010s. Krogle had moved from California to Idaho with his wife and daughter in the 1980s, which prompted his switch to a fine art career earlier because there were fewer illustration opportunities there.  

Krogle and Rodriguez kept in touch throughout the years, and Krogle encouraged Rodriguez to make the switch to fine art. He loved the freedom of getting to choose what he painted and the personal touch that added to his art.  

“He started doing Western art, and he kept telling me about it,” Rodriguez says. “And it just sounded like such a great thing to do. I just got so frustrated with illustration that I thought, ‘Oh, I [have] to get out of this. I want to do Western art; it’s time.’”  

During Rodriguez’s transition to fine art, the two men deepened their friendship and mentorship. “Bob calls me about lots of things in regard to art, and I’ll do the reverse,” Krogle says. “I’ll send him an image, and ask, ‘What do you think about this?’ He’ll give me an idea, and the reverse can be true, so we think we’re continuing to make each other better. I just don’t know about two other artists that do this. I think it’s a pretty unique relationship.”  

Both artists have participated in Western Art Week in Great Falls, Montana, for a number of years. At this year’s Out West Art, artists will share exhibit rooms rather than having their own. It was a no-brainer that Krogle and Rodriguez would share a room and help each other sell their art. Rodriguez will also have a piece in The Russell auction during that time.  

One unique thing about their experience at the Out West Art Show this year is the contribution they will be making to a greater cause. A collection of works will be sold to raise money for medical expenses for artist Albin Veselka, who had a brain tumor removed during the past year. Krogle and Rodriguez collaborated on a poster, and the proceeds of sales will go to Veselka.  

“We’ve had 100 of them printed, and so that’s our contribution,” Krogle says. “It’s a portrait of Thomas White Eagle, [who was] was one of the models from photo shoots in South Dakota. Then Bob had an idea, ‘Why don’t we put like a palette down in the corner with a paintbrush that’s painting the painting’ and then Bob added beautiful letter design work.” 

You can visit Krogle and Rodriguez at the Out West Art Show in Great Falls, Montana, this weekend in room 166. The posters for Albin Veselka will be available in the same room and will be signed by both artists.