Cody's Buffalo Bill Art Show Sale Hits $1 Million In One Night

CODY — It’s never too late for a first, and there was a big first to celebrate at the 43rd Annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale’s live auction this weekend.

When Lot 101, the oil painting “Trout Peak Traverse” by Mark McKenna, sold for $9,000, auctioneer Troy Black said he had something special to announce to the crowded tent of patrons and artists.

“In all my years of doing this show, we’ve never hit $1 million on the first night,” he said. “We just did it.”

The tent erupted with cheers and applause at the $1 million milestone, and there was still more art to auction off. It's the atmosphere and community that have made the contemporary Western art show and auction one of the most prestigious and anticipated events of its kind.

The Numbers

Between Friday night’s live auction and Saturday morning's Quick Draw auction, the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale brought in more than $1.2 million. The total will reach even higher with additional sales from bronze castings and silent auctions.

During Friday’s auction, the highest-selling pieces were "Nuance or Nothing is Just Black or White,” a colored scratchboard by Sally Maxwell, and “Three Crow Ladies on Their Parade," a painting by Kevin Red Star. Each sold for $42,500.

The highest-selling individual piece during Saturday’s Quick Draw was “The Hunter’s Moon,” a painting by Andrew Bolam, which sold for $13,000.

However, the highest amount earned from the Quick Draw was Chris Navarro’s “Woody and the Moose,” a clay sculpture soon to be cast in bronze. Bidding for the sculpture stopped at $1,500, but 22 limited castings were sold that morning, bringing in a total of $33,000.

Under The Tent

The art show and sale was sold out long before the live auction. More than 600 people ate dinner, drank cocktails and cheerfully greeted old friends under a massive tent in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West parking lot in Cody, Wyoming.

Of the 104 artists who submitted their art to the show, more than 60 were in attendance. While they’re eager to see how much their paintings and sculptures would fetch during the live auction. They were also eager to immerse themselves in the Western art community that gathers in Cody every year for the show.

“My first show was 15 years ago,” artist Jessica Garrett-Lawrence told Cowboy State Daily. “It was surreal then, and it’s still surreal. I come here and meet all my heroes, and it’s crazy for me to meet and be around all these artists I admire. I love the community of this show.”

Artist David Frederick Riley shared the same affection in his seventh year in the event. His painting “American Dream” won the People’s Choice Award and sold for $19,000 during the 2023 Quick Draw.

“It feels like it's being part of a family than just a random art show,” he said. “They do a really good job of looking out for people and making us feel comfortable and welcome.”

Artists and patrons mingled until they were urged to take their seats so the real show could begin. The culmination of a year of hard work and anticipation was just a runway away.

‘You Liked It At $11,000’

After a few introductory remarks, the microphone was handed off to auctioneer Troy Black of Black and Associates Auctioneers Inc. of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He’s been the force encouraging and jovially goading patrons into bidding for the contemporary Western art presented along a long runway in the center of the tent.

Black knew his audience well. He singled out bidders with just the right humor and prodding in the back-and-forth of bidding.

“You know what, my dear, this is exactly how I love to see you bid — when (your husband’s) not watching,” he said to a couple in a minor bidding war.

Amid the breathless garble of growing numbers, Black found moments to make jokes and call out his enraptured audience with his signature sayings.

“There are no friends at an art auction.”

“I’m going to sell them all before the evening’s over.”

“I know you’ve already got a spot at home ready for this one.”

“You know better than to come hunting with one bullet.”

Black has built a business of onstage charisma and humor that gets results. Time and again, his quick wit and boundless energy kept art lingering on the runway as bidders kept battling amid the cheers and laughter of their peers.

“At this time in your life, you should succumb to peer pressure,” he said to another bidder, laughing at Black’s comment with indecision. “Listen to all your friends. $7,500!”

And it worked.

Bidding Wars

By the end of Friday’s auctions, 98 of the 104 pieces in the 43rd Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale had been sold. Only six pieces didn’t meet their reserve at auction.

The most exciting moment of the night arrived when Lot 46 appeared on the runway.

"Nuance or Nothing is Just Black or White” won the 2024 People’s Choice Award, and the 24-by-48-inch colored scratchboard of a crouched mountain was expected to get around $17,500.

Every time a bidding war began, the audience got involved with the same enthusiasm as any spectator sport. With theirs and Black’s urging, the numbers kept going higher until there was a buyer.

There was a long and enjoyable tense bidding war for Maxwell’s piece. A resounding cheer arose when it sold for $42,500, more than four times what was expected.

Artist John Potter literally sat in the middle of a bidding war for his painting, “Oh Holy Night.” Patrons on either side of his table were competing for his painting of an American Indian teepee under the Northern Lights.

“That's what you hope for,” he said. “You can never count on that. The worst thing that can happen is when you’re sitting there and nobody bids on it. I've had that happen before. But when you get several people going at it at once, it feels very humbling, very powerful, and very happy.”

“Oh Holy Night” sold for $15,000, surpassing its expected mark of $5,000.

That’ll Work

Garrett-Lawrence and Riley had a good night at the auction. Their pieces sold for $3,250 and $13,000 respectively.

“I got about retail for the piece I had at the auction,” Riley said. “That work.”

“I did a little over retail,” Garrett-Lawerence said. “And it was early in the auction, so it was good timing for us. My daughter had to take a nap, so we were able to do good, get it done, go home and go to bed. Doesn't get much better than that.”

The final piece auctioned off that night was the pedestal used to display the sculptures for auction, a tradition in the show’s 43 years. It sold for $2,500.

Not Their Masterpieces

The next morning, the energy in the tent was more subdued but still electrifying. People filed through the breakfast buffet and made their way outside to watch 29 artists during the morning’s Quick Draw.

Kathy Thompson, who has directed the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale for 16 years, said she added the Quick Draw to the event as an educational showcase for artists and patrons.

“It’s a teaching moment, show people they're not doing masterpieces,” she said. “They’re talented artists, but patrons need to understand an artist's process to have a blank canvas and create something amazing. They’re teaching us what they do when they're out in the plein air, and they're trying to capture the light, catch an image, and then do it quickly.”

Potter, Riley and Garrett-Lawrence participated in the Quick Draw, using their limited time to create pieces in their signature styles. Potter was trying to capture the color of an evening he experienced along the North Fork of the Shoshone River.

“I was coming down Sylvan Pass a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “Sunset was behind me, and the light on Sleeping Giant was driving me crazy. The mountain was glowing. That’s what I got to do in the time I have.”

His quick work paid off. Potter won the People’s Choice Award for that morning’s Quick Draw, and “Other Side Camp” sold for $8,000.

Garrett-Lawrence’s painting of evening light over Heart Mountain sold for $2,250, while Riley’s painting of a jackrabbit, “I’m All Ears,” was the second highest-selling painting of the Quick Draw at $11,000.

Another $157,300 of art was sold during the Quick Draw. After the auction of the final item, an apron signed by every participating artist for $550, the 43rd Annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale was officially over.

A Farewell To Arts

Along with the bidding wars and good-naturing ribbing was an undercurrent of reverence and appreciation for Thompson. After 16 years of building the show’s prestige and profitability, she’s relinquishing the show to her hand-picked successor, Katelyn Parker.

Before the Friday night auction, Thompson was thanked and congratulated by Parker; Rebecca West, the director of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West; and Jennifer Thoma, the new executive director of the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce.

“Your career has been like a masterwork,” West said. “You started with a concept, a sketch in your mind, then started to paint and add layers, and all your friends and colleagues added to it over the years. This masterwork of your career is what we are celebrating.

“The canvas is varnished, the work is signed, and I know there might have been a few times when you wanted to get out the turpentine and do some repainting. But here we are, and we are here to honor this wonderful creation of your hard work and dedication to this community.”

Thompson was presented with awards and bouquets while receiving multiple standing ovations from the hundreds of people assembled under the tent.

“It's always dangerous to give me a mic,” she said. “There’s nothing I can say except that I did my job, I loved it, and we grew the show together. It's bittersweet and sad for me, but you're in great hands, and that makes me feel really good. You are all a treasure to me, whether you believe it or not.”

No one was more complimentary than the artists. Each has a personal relationship with Thompson, who they credit as the heart of the community they’ve come to cherish.

“Since I first started coming here, everybody makes you feel like you’re part of something,” Garrett-Lawrence said. “I love that about it, and Kathy Thompson has been a huge part of that.”

“Kathy Thompson has done such a great job,” Riley said. “She takes care of the artists and makes people feel like family.”

“Kathy Thompson has been like a second mom to me for a long time,” said Potter. “This show and this community take care of the artist so well. That's why it’s one of the best shows in the country. The patrons, the collectors, the staff, the volunteers – everything about this show is the best.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.