Over the Rim

Original pen and brush drawing in black ink on paper, ca. 1965–1968. Signed lower right: Charlie Dye with “CA” monogram (Cowboy Artists of America). Visible image size approx. 9.5" x 7.5"; attractively matted and framed to 17.5" x 16". Provenance: Private collection. A strong, narrative composition by Charlie Dye (1906–1972), painter, illustrator, and co-founder of the Cowboy Artists of America (CAA). The drawing shows a cowboy with his mount and pack horse negotiating rocky terrain, rendered with Dye’s confident line and spare brushwork. Signed in ink at the lower right with Dye’s characteristic underline and “CA” monogram, denoting his Cowboy Artists of America membership. This illustration was reproduced on the front cover of Those Early Days: Oldtimers’ Memoirs, a history of Sedona and the Verde Valley Region (Sedona Westerners, 1968). In the acknowledgments to that volume, the drawing is identified by title as Over the Rim. Since Dye only began appending “CA” after the CAA was founded in 1965, the drawing can be securely dated to between 1965 and 1968. Included with the artwork is a first edition copy of Those Early Days. (Sedona: The Sedona Westerners, 1968) and Charlie Dye: One Helluva Western Painter by Paul Weaver (Los Angeles: Peterson Prints, 1981). Condition: Very good. The sheet is clean, with only light, even toning. No visible tears, losses, or stains. Ink lines crisp and unfaded, some strokes showing light brown toning from age. A faint offset or “ghost” impression of the signature is visible, likely from the original inking process or later storage, not affecting legibility or presentation. Professionally framed with Tru Vue Museum Glass, frame shows minor wear. Both volumes in very good condition showing light shelfwear, with Those Early Days showing a couple stains to covers and tape marks to endpapers. Original Dye drawings with named titles and documented publication history are scarce on the market. The Sedona connection, Cowboy Artists of America monogram, and confirmed book reproduction give this work exceptional appeal for collectors of Western art.…