The Artist

Gary Graham was born and raised in North Dakota. There he competed in rodeos, riding both horses and bulls. He then moved to Minnesota where he and his wife owned Graham Stables-raising, training, showing, and selling horses. After a brief time living in Texas, he and his family moved to Arizona in 1987.

Gary has been making frames for over three years and has participated in numerous juried artists festivals including Sunday at Shemer where he was filmed by Arizona Channel 3 tv. Gary has also had his frames in galleries including Blue Coyote Gallery, Cave Creek Cowboy Company, and Big Bronco.

Artist Statement

My interest in wood was an evolutionary process that started from my hikes through the various mountains of Arizona. I began collecting unique pieces of wood I found along my hikes and began creating walking sticks out of them. Soon my walking sticks transformed from merely functional objects into highly polished and decorated pieces of artwork. As I began to find ways to display my artistic creations, my interest in framing developed and took over.

Having lived in North Dakota, Texas, and Arizona, and being a former bull rider, I have been influenced by the tradition of the American Cowboy and the history of the Wild West and therefore primarily frame western art subjects and have routinely collaborated with fellow Arizona artist Michael Swearngin who paints contemporary cowboy images.

Although I began making wooden frames for prints and mirrors as hobby, as I developed my skills I began acquiring commissions for custom frames for individuals.  This led to selling my artwork at shows and galleries throughout Arizona. My goal is not only to create a frame that will enhance the beauty of a piece of art, but to create a frame that is a piece of art unto itself. I begin each frame by selecting wood that will compliment the print I have chosen; sometimes I will utilize more than one type of wood to accentuate the colors in a given piece of artwork. Some of my frames are then embellished with brass fittings, leather, or cowhide.  The end result is one of a kind piece of artwork.