Burns, Doreman - Woman In Pink Blanket

Doreman Burns’ watercolor compositions of the American Cowgirl are a fusion of light and shadow, his own imagination and reality.  His unusual use of watercolor medium produces clean, sharp images and brings his subject matter to life with vibrant color and design.

"I try to paint a figure that portrays the strong, independent cowgirl spirit and grasp an accurate reflection of the western cowgirl culture. I stylize, emotionalize and romanticize my cowgirls."

The long and dusty trail of artist/entrepreneur Doreman Burns began in 1942 in the small West Texas town of Slaton, situated in the panhandle of Texas, only a stone's throw from Lubbock. At an early age Doreman discovered his natural gift for drawing along with a keen eye for architecture. After proudly serving two years in the US Navy, Doreman studied at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. In 1967 he and his wife, Sheri followed their creative entrepreneurial spirits, opening a string of retail businesses including B&B Music [record & tape store] which they owned and operated in Lubbock.

Doreman steadily painted and developed his skills in watercolor. Painting was his escape from the day to day challenges that come with running a successful business. At that time his subject matter was the quickly disappearing old farm houses and windmills of the West Texas plains. It is safe to say he had "a love affair" with these old charms of the West. Doreman’s work truly captured the spirit of these days gone by.

In 1988 he and Sheri had the opportunity to fulfill a long time dream to move to New Mexico and pursue their art full time. They did just that; setting up studio in the village of Chimayo, situated between Santa Fe and Taos. Living in the Land of Enchantment had a profound impact on his style of art. His watercolors captured beautifully the colorful southwestern spirit and subject matter of New Mexico, embodying its' magic spell, reflecting this in his depictions of Indian maidens performing the daily chores of gathering firewood and baking bread in their dirt ovens.

Somewhere along the trail his creative spirit was visited and charmed by the curious American Cowgirl. His color palette and brushes effortlessly oblige the cowgirls' desire or maybe even need to be reinvigorated through his artworks. Doreman's interpretations of the American Cowgirl are without a doubt the most stunning in the genre. Some would go so far as to say he is an ambassador for them. His works reach the core of the "cowgirl" and give the viewer a true sense of their being.