FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Sarah Roderick
Communications Assistant, New Mexico Department of Agriculture
Sroderick@nmda.nmsu.edu
Office: 575-646-1864
Oct. 25, 2022
Three New Mexico artists receive Rounders Award
Anderson, Cox, Sundt celebrated for articulating Western way of life
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico artists JaNeil Anderson, Tim Cox and Duke Sundt received the 2022 Rounders Award Oct. 25 for their vivid artistic creations that tell the story of the Western way of life.
New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte presented the awards to Anderson, Cox and Sundt at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.
The award was named after “The Rounders,” a classic Western novel that was written by Max Evans. Created in 1990 by former New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Frank DuBois, the purpose of the award is to honor those who live, promote and articulate the Western way of life. Max Evans was the first-ever award recipient, and the Rounders tradition continues as this year’s recipients join 31 previous honorees.
Evans passed in 2020, however, the Rounders tradition lives on. Witte described these individuals as vivid creators of Western art that embody the tradition of the award.
“This year we have a remarkable trio of artists who each has his or her own unique method of telling a story through art, whether it’s through paintings or sculptures,” said Witte. “I am proud of the legacy Max has left in Western culture, and this year’s award recipients definitely live and articulate the Western way of life. Max would be proud.”
Anderson is a native Arizonan who currently ranches with her husband in Southern New Mexico. At the outset of her career, she worked in pencil, then moved to pastels and now works in oils. Working along with cowboys gives her the insight to accurately paint what she loves and knows. She strives to share a story in each painting, and that story is represented in the subjects’ gestures and expressions. The attention to detail highlights the individualism in each person, animal or setting. Anderson studied under cowboy artist James Reynolds and R.S. Riddick. In 2020, she won a purchase prize award at the Women’s Group Show at the Booth Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, which now hangs in the permanent collection of the museum. Anderson is also a signature member of American Women Artists and Oil Painters of America.
Cox paints what he knows: vibrant cutting horses intent on holding that cow, cowponies covered in sweat after working a hard day or ranch horses sharing a well-earned drink at a glistening water trough. His cattle have authentic expressions, and frequent subjects include calves perhaps a little bewildered at a branding, bemused heifers waiting to be fed, a longhorn steer intent on leaving the country or a herd just shuffling along while being driven to better pastures. Ranchers, cutters, team ropers and cowhands all touch his heart. He adds a striking landscape with dramatic skies that are clear blue with wispy pink clouds or spectacular thunderheads. His favorite times are being out on the ranches, absorbing every detail of what he and others are doing, so that he may go back to the studio and document the modern cowboy, as he has done for 47 years. Cox is especially proud of his 2003 Prix de West Award and his two “Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Awards” from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. He was admitted as a member of the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America in 2007. After serving on its board of directors and being a member for only a few years, he served as president in 2011, 2012 and 2016.
Sundt’s career as an artist started much differently than most. While his father was in the military, his family lived in a number of places; however, the last station of his father’s duty had the greatest influence on the young Sundt and his future career as a sculptor. Between the ages of 9 and 13, his family lived in Copenhagen, Denmark. His exposure to museums, art galleries and outdoor monumental bronze sculptures in every city park left a lasting impression which led him to pursue a career as an artist specializing in bronze sculpture. After moving to Las Cruces with his family and after a 7-year stint on the rodeo circuit, Sundt received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in sculpture in 1971 from New Mexico State University. After working as a ranch hand, he determined that he wanted to illustrate the contemporary American cowboy in a realistically detailed, representational style. Throughout his 50-year career, he has been fortunate to receive a number of monumental commissions, larger than life-size subjects ranging from Southwestern to military-themed sculptures. Primarily, though, he has been dedicated to portraying the American cowboy and the wildlife of the Southwest in smaller limited-edition bronzes in his own unique way.
For a list of past Rounders Award recipients, visit the New Mexico Department of Agriculture website.
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