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Denver Art Museum's 'Trespassing' Exhibit Features Life On The Ranch

DENVER (CBS4) - The blockbuster Cartier show continues to be a hit at the Denver Art Museum.

But tucked into a smaller gallery is "Trespassing," a show with just as much beauty.

A selection of 27 watercolors by Denver artist William Matthews, "Trespassing" exemplifies the ranching and cowboy life in the American West. The artist is not a cowboy -- he lives and works in Denver, the museum says -- so when he's invited to ranches and farms to paint, he's an outsider. Hence the title of the show.

"Wherever I go, I am paying attention to things with an outsider's eye, with a freshness and objectivity that is hopefully unique," Matthews says.

William Matthews with Lauren Whitney
William Matthews with Lauren Whitney (credit: CBS)

Matthews said draws his inspiration from life on the ranch all over the West.

"In most ranches, I'm quite welcome," he says.

He captures cowboys and their lifestyle in watercolor.

"I was really interested in the ones who were the best cowboys, not the ones that looked the best," he says.

The exhibit includes a new work created just for the show, depicting branding day on a ranch.

"There's a universal quality to branding that I wanted to express. I could only do it in a multifaceted piece," Matthews says.

Matthews' show is included in the ticket price at the DAM and runs through May 17. The museum will show "William Matthews: Drawn to Paint," a documentary about the artist, on Jan. 22 and 23.

William Matthews 1
A William Matthews watercolor (credit: CBS)
William Matthews 3
A William Matthews watercolor (credit: CBS)
William Matthews 2
A William Matthews watercolor (credit: CBS)
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