[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 88 (Thursday, June 27, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            KATIE WEST: A COWGIRL'S PORTRAIT OF THE OLD WEST

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 26, 2002

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to artist and 
cowgirl Katie West for her work portraying the Old West and for her 
passion for living the cowgirl lifestyle on the Rocking KT Ranch with 
her quarter horses and collie dogs. Katie has always strived for 
perfection and is considered one of the finest pen-and-ink artists in 
the nation.
  Besides her pen-and-ink drawings, Katie has earned a worldwide 
reputation for her oils on canvas, watercolors and her own unique 
process called petrography, which is fine line engraving in granite, 
crystal and solid jade. Her technique allows her to hold more detail in 
granite than anyone in the world. Katie's depictions of animals, 
particularly horses, and the Old West has brought her wide acclaim. In 
fact, others have proclaimed her work to be in form and quality a 
worthy heir to the great western artistry of Charles Russell, Frederick 
Remington and Frank Tenney Johnson. In addition, Katie has been 
nominated to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
  Her oil paintings, including ``The American Cowboy,'' ``Forever 
Eternal Red, White and Blue,'' ``God Bless the U.S.A.,'' and a painting 
of a real cowboy on the range called ``Born in the U.S.A.,'' evoke 
strong emotions and recall a simpler time when the lines between good 
and evil seemed as clearly defined as the difference between a white 
hat and a black one. Her petrigraph engravings also are stirring, 
including ``Comanche,'' and studies of Clayton Moore as ``The Lone 
Ranger,'' John Wayne, Gene Autry and Gary Cooper.
  Katie also has been a featured artist at a wide-range of art shows 
and other events across the nation. She has appeared on local and 
national television shows and her work has been illustrated in 
magazines from coast to coast. Her art, music and writing have spread 
joy and happiness to fans young and old all over the world. Collectors 
of Katie's work include such luminaries and fans of the western 
tradition as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, jockeys Bill Shoemaker and Gary 
Stevens, singer Pat Boone and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing 
the gratitude and appreciation of the United States Congress for the 
artistry of Katie West. Her dedication to conveying the strength of 
spirit and the vigor of the Old West in her artwork serves to preserve 
and rekindle the romanticism and patriotism that have always helped our 
nation overcome obstacles and adversity. I can think of no better time 
to have an artist such as Katie West riding the range for our country.

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