John Moyers

Moyers grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the son of Cowboy Artists of America painter, William Moyers.  He had a natural affinity for art, and he grew up surrounded by paintings and sculpture during his formative years.  He studied at the Laguna Beach School of Art and the California Institute for the Arts on a Walt Disney Studio scholarship.  It was in 1979 that Moyers was invited to attend a month-long workshop at the Okanagan Game Farm in British Columbia, led by another Cowboy Artist, Robert Lougheed. These workshops were one of few places where an artist could study traditional techniques for painting deer, musk ox, and other wild animals from real life. That workshop proved to be a turning point for Moyers and his art. The experience of painting ‘en plein air’ day after day was a truly eye-opening experience in the way he approached a subject and in the way he captured it on canvas. The workshop was also where he met his future wife and fellow artist, Terri.

In the ensuing years Moyer’s career has progressed steadily, earning him recognition at the Prix de West Show at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City, OK, and at the Masters of the American West Show at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, CA.  Having been a member of the Cowboy Artists of America since 1994 and served as president of the group, he also exhibits at the annual Cowboy Artists of America show at the Phoenix Art Museum.  He has received top awards for more than seven years running at the CAA exhibitions in both oil and water soluble media.

He paints American Indians, cowboys, themes from Old Mexico and New Mexico, and landscapes. “I paint what excites me. Maybe for two months all I want to do is landscapes, then maybe Native Americans and then Mexican pieces.” Moyers also says, “The more you paint, the more comfortable you get with the process. Hopefully, I’m improving all the time.”

Moyers and his wife, Terri, live and paint in California, while continuing to make annual pilgrimages to Canada where they never fail to be inspired by the rugged beauty of the northern landscapes of the American continent. Moyers also paints en plein air in Hawaii, a land that has captivated his interest since his youth.

Artist’s Awards:

2022 Gayle Roski – Stories of the West Award for Best Narrative Work, Masters of the American West at the Autry Museum of the American West, CA

2021 Director’s Choice For Excellence Award, “Vanguard of the Northern Plains”,  Prix de West, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2017 Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award, Quest for the West, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, ID

2012 Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Award, Prix de West, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2009 Stetson CA Award (Artists Choice Award), Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2009 Gold Medal Oil “The Judgement”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2009 Silver Water Solubles Award “The Passion and the Pain”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2008 Kieckhefer Award (Best of Show) “The Shadow of Doubt” , Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2008 Gold Medal Oil “The Shadow of Doubt”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2007 Gold Medal Oil “Once We Were Kings”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2007 Silver Water Solubles Award “Apache”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2006 Artists Choice Award (Stetson CA Award), Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2006 Kieckhefer Award (Best of Show) “The Eagle and the Snake”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2006 Gold Medal Water Soluble “The Eagle and the Snake”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2006 Silver Medal Oil “The Apparition”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2005 Gold Medal Oil “Caught in the Open”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2005 Gold Medal Water Solubles “Souvenirs of Mexico”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2005 Kieckhefere Award (Best of Show) “Caught in the Open”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2004 Silver Medal Oil “A Change in the Wind”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2003 Kieckhefer Award (Best of Show) “Gathering Storm”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2003 Gold Oil Award “Gathering Storm”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2003 Robert Lougheed Memorial Award, Prix de West, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2002 The Cowboy Artists Award or Artists Choice

2002 Gold Medal Oil “White Man’s Leftovers”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2001 Silver Medal Oil “The Sixty-Six”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2002 Gold Medal Drawing and Other Media “Making Time”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

2000 The Cowboy Artists Award or Artist Choice, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

1997 Gold Medal Oil “Winter Travelers”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

1997 Kieckhefer Award (Best of Show) “Winter Travelers”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK

1996 Silver Medal Oil “Spirits in the Wind”, Cowboy Artists of America, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, OK