Rick McCollum grew up in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, capital of the Cherokee Nation, surrounded by the people, history, and traditions of the American West.

“My dad and uncles were stockmen; my friends were Native Americans, world champion cowboys and cowgirls, and hardworking country folk.”

As a boy, McCollum was constantly drawing. Visits to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa introduced him to the paintings of Remington, Russell, Leigh, and Moran and planted an early ambition to become an artist.

He later graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and began a thirty-year career as a freelance illustrator. His work appeared nationally and internationally and received numerous awards.

“Jumping from a successful career in illustration to fine art was scary. It was like starting all over, but I was painting what I loved. It connected me to home.”

For more than twenty-five years, his Western paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the country. His honors include the Ralph “Tuffy” Berg Award at the C.M. Russell Museum, Best Oil Painting at the Western Spirit Show, and the Artists’ Choice Award from Western Artists of America.