Jerry West

Jerry West is considered among the most significant contemporary artists in the Southwest. Born in 1933, West grew up in the New Mexico countryside before WWII. After years as a student, serving in the military, and working as a Nation Park ranger, he became a history, anthropology, biology, and art teacher from 1965 to 1970. He was enrolled in a graduate art program at Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Once he graduated, he left teaching to pursue his art career and design and build unique custom homes in the Santa Fe area. From 1973-1978 he spent winters in New York City working on prints in Robert Blackburn's printmaking workshop and exhibited in competitions, galleries, and museums. From 1990 to 1993, he was a visiting instructor in painting and printmaking at the University of New Mexico and the University of California at Santa Cruz. He has been in many publications and received a few awards -- including the Mayor's Award for Outstanding Artist in Santa Fe, October 2012, and the Distinguished Artist of the Year by the Rotary Club of Santa Fe in 2010. His work can be found in the public collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art; The Albuquerque Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe; New Mexico State Capital permanent collection; and The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal.