With Pistols Drawn by Frank McCarthy

"With Pistols Drawn” by Frank McCarthy

Limited Edition Signed Print:  AP 12/55

Published: Greenwich Workshop, 1993  SOLD OUT EDITION

Image Size:  33" x 21.5"

Selling Price:  $175

About the Art: It's about 1885 or so, out on the plains.  Artistically, the most important thing about this image is the visual impact of the scene.  I concentrated on that aspect because here, the charge is the thing.  I tried a series of daylight backgrounds, but they all threw the balance off.  Finally, I decided to set the action at night.  That way I could maintain both the silhouette of the subjects and the complicated design of the figures.  I went through a lot to make this one right, but I think it was worth it.  F. McCarthy

About the Artist:  Frank McCarthy  (1924 – 2002), born in New York City, studied at the Art Students League in New York City during the summers starting at the age of 14. He was a graduate of Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York.  He began his art career as a commercial illustrator, painting illustrations for most of the paperback book publishers, magazines, movie companies, and advertisements. He created works that became posters for such movies as the James Bond series. Frank McCarthy's talents were highly sought after by art directors enabling him to work as a freelance illustrator for many years. He left the world of commercial art in 1968, and began his fine art career after moving to Sedona, Arizona.

Frank McCarthy's dynamic paintings frequently featured the people of the west with a special emphasis on the Plains Indian, mountain men, and cavalry that made up the lore and lure of the old west. Appropriately entitled "The Dean of Western Action Painters", Frank McCarthy's art was unsurpassed for its motion, drama, and absolute attention to accuracy and detail. Highly collected, and frequently imitated, Frank McCarthy's works were treasured throughout the world as classic examples of contemporary Western Art. Retrospective showings of Frank McCarthy's paintings have been held at the Museum of the Southwest, Midland, Texas; the R.W. Norton Museum in Shreveport, La.; the Thomas Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, OK; and in 1992, at the Cowboy Artist of America Museum in Kerrville, Texas. Frank McCarthy was invited to join the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America organization in 1975 and was an active member in the CAA group for 23 years. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1997.

 Five books of his paintings have been published-1 hardbound, 3 softbound, and 1  leather limited edition book. Over 100 limited edition art prints of his paintings have been published since 1974 by Greenwich Workshop, Shelton, CT.