Western Artist and collector – 2012 RSSoT recipient
Born a third-generation Texan in Dallas in 1929, artist Joe Ruiz Grandee has a background as colorful as his paintings. His great-grandfather, a Castillian nobleman, came from Spain to settle in Corpus Christi, where he built the town's largest and most successful dance hall and saloon. Grandee's grandfather, Banito, grew up in the family's large home - a home that would ultimately be renovated and designated a historical landmark - and rose to become one of Corpus Christi's most prominent and respected citizens. On his mothers side, Grandee boasted two grandfathers with connections to history; one who captained a clipper ship that ran the blockade for the Confederacy between Port Lavaca, Texas, and New Orleans, and another who was a judge and presided during the famous Sutton-Taylor feud trial. Grandee studied at the Aunspaugh Art School in Dallas for a short time in 1947 and began painting scenes of the American West in 1948. He didn't particularly like the academic study of art, preferring instead to hone his craft by continually putting brush to canvas, starting first by painting landscapes, then inserting subjects such as cowboys, horses, and cattle. His small east Texas ranch served as setting for many of his early works, and it was there that Grandee decided he would paint things he knew firsthand. He became a practicing professional painter in 1958, dedicated himself to Western art, a relatively new medium at the time. "We live in a universe governed by laws of cause and effect, and a moment of action frozen in time can only be understood in the light of what had transpired before and what is likely to have taken place afterward. The whole scope of time must be reflected. If the action doesn't seem logical, then the story of a painting falls apart," believes Grandee.
Over many years, Grandee has produced many of the most stunning and historically accurate paintings ever created. We hope you will take your time through this gallery and absorb all that it has to offer. Now, you are able to capture a piece of Western history by owning several of these unique prints, many of which are already classics - available from the Joe Grandee gallery!