Charlie M. Russell: The Cowboy Who Painted the West

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[INTRO MUSIC]

Howdy y’all, Chip Schweiger, here. Welcome to another edition of Way Out West with The Cowboy Accountant. 

The podcast that takes you on a journey through the stories of the American West, brings you the very best cowboy wisdom, and celebrates the cowboys and cowgirls who are feeding a nation. 

Close your eyes for a moment.

Picture the Montana sky—vast, endless, painted in strokes of pink and gold as the sun sets behind the distant Rockies. 

The air is crisp, carrying the scent of sagebrush and the faint crackle of a campfire.

In the distance, a lone cowboy leans against his saddle, sketching by lantern light. His fingers are rough from years on the range, but the way they move across the page—deliberate, patient, full of longing—is something close to magic.

He’s not just drawing what he sees. He’s capturing what he feels.

The wildness.
The freedom.
The fleeting beauty of a world that’s disappearing faster than a bronc out of a chute.

That cowboy’s name was Charlie Russell—and long before Hollywood, long before dime novels and legends shaped our idea of the West, he painted it as it truly was.

So, today on the show, we’re telling his story.

After the episode, check out the show notes at podcast.cowboyaccountant.com

Welcome back. 

Today, we’re diving into the life of a man who captured the soul of the Old West—not with a six-shooter or a branding iron, but with a paintbrush.  

Charles Marion Russell, also known as the "Cowboy Artist," didn’t just paint the West—he lived it. 

His art tells the story of cowboys, Native Americans, and frontier life in a way that words never could. 

But behind those vivid brushstrokes was a man who rode the range, told a mean campfire story, and never lost his love for the cowboy way of life.  

So, let me tell you about Charlie Russell, someone who I think is the most influential cowboy artist of all time. 

And, I think when we get done this week, hopefully you might just agree.

So, first his childhood.

Charlie Russell wasn’t born on the range. 

He was born in 1864 in St. Louis, Missouri—a city far removed from the open plains. But like a lot of young boys in that era, Charlie had cowboy dreams.  

He spent his childhood sketching horses and imagining life out on the frontier. 

Then, at just 16 years old, he convinced his family to let him go west to Montana—a land still wild, still untamed.  

He started as a wrangler on a sheep ranch, but that didn’t last long—because Charlie hated sheep. 

What he really wanted was to be a cowboy, and soon enough, he found himself riding with the real deal, learning the ropes of ranch life.  

But no matter how hard the work got, Charlie never stopped sketching. 

He’d draw on saddlebags, scraps of paper—whatever he could find. 

His fellow cowboys noticed, and before long, Russell wasn’t just known for his roping skills—he was known for telling stories through pictures. 

Now, here’s where Charlie’s story takes a turn. 

In the harsh winter of 1886-87, a brutal cold front swept across Montana, killing thousands of cattle. 

Ranchers were devastated—but Charlie? He saw a moment worth capturing.  

He painted a small, haunting watercolor called Waiting for a Chinook—a gaunt steer standing in the snow, surrounded by the bones of those that didn’t survive.  

That painting made its way into the hands of a ranch owner, who showed it to friends, and before Charlie knew it, folks were talking about this cowboy who could paint like no other. 

It was his first taste of recognition, and it set him on the path to becoming a full-time artist.  

By 1893, Charlie traded his saddle for a paintbrush, moving to Great Falls, Montana, to focus entirely on his art. 

And he didn’t just paint cowboys—his works honored the Blackfeet, Crow, and other Native American tribes he’d known during his years on the range. 

Unlike some artists who romanticized the West, Russell painted it as he saw it—with grit, humor, and a deep respect for those who lived it.  

Charlie wasn’t just an artist—he was a storyteller, through and through. 

Whether he was spinning a yarn around a campfire or telling a tale through his brushstrokes, he had a knack for capturing the spirit of the West.  

One of his most famous paintings, Bronc to Breakfast, shows a cowboy mid-air after his horse bucks him straight out of the saddle—a moment every cowboy has lived at least once.  

Then there’s Buffalo Hunt, which captured the tragic fate of the buffalo—once numbering in the millions, now dwindling to near extinction.  

And let’s not forget his sculptures—yes, Russell didn’t just paint. 

He shaped figures from clay and wax, often using chewed-up beeswax right in his own mouth. 

But despite his fame, Charlie never let success go to his head. 

He remained humble, preferring a cowboy’s simple life over high society. 

He and his wife, Nancy, worked together—she handled the business, and he painted, sculpted, and spun stories.  

Let’s take a quick break, and when we come back I’ll talk about Charlie Russell’s influence and legacy on Western Art. Be right back.

Welcome back.

Charlie Russell’s work didn’t just capture the West—it shaped how we remember it.

His art inspired generations of Western painters, including Joe De Yong, his only apprentice, who later became a consultant for Hollywood Westerns.

Speaking of Hollywood, John Ford, the legendary director of Stagecoach and The Searchers, 

drew inspiration from Russell’s paintings when crafting the look of his films. 

The dusty trails, the broncs mid-buck, the long shadows of cowboys against the sunset—

those images all owe something to Charlie’s brush.

His influence extended to writers, too. 

Will James, the cowboy author and artist, mirrored Russell’s storytelling style. 

Larry McMurtry, the mind behind Lonesome Dove, captured the same raw authenticity Russell painted.

And then there were the Native American subjects of his art—he didn’t just paint them as background figures, but as people with stories of their own. 

That respect influenced later artists and historians who sought to correct old stereotypes.

Even today, you can see Charlie’s fingerprints on rodeo posters, Western book covers, and the work of modern cowboy artists. 

If you've ever seen a painting that makes you feel the grit and dust of the Old West, chances are, it carries a little bit of Russell’s spirit.

By the time Charlie Russell passed away in 1926, he had left behind more than 2,000 paintings and sculptures—a lifetime of work that captured the frontier before it faded into history.  

His legacy lives on in places like the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, where folks can still see his work up close. 

 And his paintings continue to inspire artists, cowboys, and history lovers alike. 

Because when you look at a Russell painting, you’re not just seeing a picture—you’re stepping into a world that once was.

A world of wide-open plains, wild broncs, and campfires under the Montana sky.  

So next time you see one of his paintings, take a minute to really look. 

Because Charlie wasn’t just painting what the West looked like—he was painting what it felt like.  

Well, that’s almost all for this week, but before we finish up, we’ve got one more thing.

[BULL SOUND]

Yep, that distinctive call from Buster the Bull means it’s time for the cowboy glossary term of the week. 

And this week’s term is ‘Puddin’ Foot.’ 

Now a puddin’ foot, well that’s what cowboys call a horse that stumbles and fumbles, like it’s got two left feet. 

Nobody wants to ride a puddin’ foot—you’ll end up in the dirt before you even get where you’re going. 

Now, when Charlie first tried his hand at cowboying, some folks might’ve called him a puddin’ foot—

but when it came to painting the West? Well, there wasn’t a surer hand out there."

[OUTRO MUSIC]

That’s all for today’s episode of Way Out West. If you enjoyed this ride through history, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your fellow cowhands. 

And if you’ve got a favorite Charlie Russell painting—or a story about how his work inspired you—drop me a message at the podcast’s website, comment in Spotify or other platforms or send a note to howdy@cowboyaccountant.com. 

I’d love to hear it.  

Until next time, keep your cinch tight and your paintbrush steady.  We’ll see ya down the road.