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Original Cowboy Paintings

Original cowboy paintings are treasured by many as unique, classic pieces of art.

Some cowboy paintings feature the life of the working cowboy, while others show cowboys in the rodeo arena. While most of the paintings depict the American cowboy (and sometimes cowgirls, too) others portray scenes of "cowboying" in other countries.

Below are original cowboy paintings for sale on the Web. Please scroll down underneath the paintings for sale for good things to know before buying an original painting on the Web or anywhere else.

Note: Not everyone agrees on the definition of an "original" painting. We briefly discuss this below. You might also like this page with lots of cowboy posters.

Below: An image of famous cowboy artist Frederic Remington's classic 1902 painting "The Cowboy."

From eBay, Etsy, and Amazon

See more original cowboy paintings on Etsy

See more original cowboy paintings on eBay

Below: Thomas Eakins' original painting "Cowboy - Study for Cowboys in the Badlands."

Good Things To Know Before Buying A Cowboy Painting

There are a lot of good things to know before buying a cowboy painting on the Web or anywhere else. While these things are too numerous to mention here, below we still offer a short list of things to know before you buy.

What we don't mention in the list are things you should know about the artist of the cowboy painting, but you should make an effort to research any information you can about the artist, particularly if the painting is considered to be valuable or collectible.

It may sound obvious, but if you're looking for an original make sure any painting you're interested in is actually an original. Some sellers use phrases like "from an original" in their title and/or descriptions, which means those items often show up in the same results as actual originals.
Also, continuing on the subject of "original" in the bullet point above, make sure you agree with the seller on the definition of "original painting" (we have more information on this below). When it comes to defining original art not everyone agrees on accepted definitions.
Who is the artist?
If the seller uses the abbreviation OOAK it might be helpful to know this means "original and one of a kind."
What medium was the painting created in? Common mediums include oil paint, other types of paint, watercolors, pen and ink, pencil, and more.
What was the painting created on? While canvas is common don't take this for granted.
What condition is the painting in? Are there numerous photos of it allowing you to take a good, detailed, look at it? Depending on the painting you might want a good look at the front, back, sides, edges, and any writing on it such as a signature and/or date.
What size is the painting (length and width)? Getting a size perspective can be difficult just by looking at images, so be sure the seller tells you the size.
Is the cowboy painting framed or unframed? If it's framed, what condition is it in? Does the frame itself add to the painting's value?
Where is the painting currently located? Will it be shipped from this location? How soon after you make your purchase will it be shipped? How will it be packaged for shipping? How much will the shipping charges be? Is insurance included in the shipping, or will it cost extra? How long will it take to arrive?
How old is the painting? Does this add to or detract from its value?
What payment methods does the seller accept? How soon after you make your purchase will you have to pay for your painting?
While some sellers of highly collectible cowboy paintings and other art on the Web have had numerous transactions and therefore a lot of feedback, it's not uncommon to find sellers with only a few transactions (and, correspondingly, only a small amount of feedback). Some sellers only register to sell online in order to sell a rare or highly collectible item. If a seller has had a lot of transaction, make sure they have a good feedback rating. If a seller has had only a few transactions, you may have to do more research before you decide how credible they may be.
Does the seller accept refunds? If yes, who is responsible for the cost of return shipping? (Hint: It's probably you.) Will there be a restocking fee? Keep in mind that a valuable painting can be expensive, and, therefore, a restocking fee might also be expensive.
If in doubt about any cowboy painting you find for sale, ask the seller your questions before you buy - it's much simpler to be informed beforehand than to dispute the purchase later on.

Many people have successfully and happily purchased paintings and other art on the Web. It has become a terrific place for buyers and sellers from all areas of the country and the world to sell and buy hard-to-find paintings they otherwise wouldn't have access to.

As with any transaction on or offline, though, make sure you thoroughly research the item you're interested in as well as the seller offering it for sale.

What Is Original Art?

Not everyone agrees on the definition of "original art." If fact, the definition can sometimes be a thorny and disputed subject among artists and art collectors. However, we'll give a few commonly accepted definitions below.

When an artist creates a unique work of art themselves it is generally defined as being an original piece of art. An artist commonly uses their hand or hands to create original art, but some artists use their mouth or feet. An animal artist such as an elephant might use its trunk. You get the idea.
Additionally, if a piece of art is created by an assistant, but under the direct supervision and approval of the artist, those pieces are sometimes also considered to be originals. A common example of this might include a glass maker who allows originals to be created in their shop by assistants but with the artist's approval and under their supervision.

When using the phrase "unique work of or art" to define an original, the word "unique" can be very important: If an artist creates a work of art with their own hands (or mouth, feet, etc.), but at least one other person creates a piece based off of the same subject at the same time, the art may, or may not, be considered to be unique and therefore not an original. A group of people gathered around the same model creating paintings at the same time can be just one example of this.

What Are Original Prints?

An "original print" is when a work of art is produced through the use of a matrix (i.e., a substance or material) created by the artist in order to produce the print.

A common example of this is a printing plate created by an artist. For the definition of "original print" it's important to realize that the plate (or other matrix) is not recreating art that has already been produced: The plate itself is an original created by the artist for the purpose of creating original prints. Each original print that is produced by the plate is considered to be an original as opposed to a copy.

Original prints are often, but not always, signed and/or numbered by the artist. Desirable original prints are often considered to be worthy artistic investments. Commonly, the matrix that produced the print is destroyed after a certain number of original prints are produced, and the prints are then known as “Limited Edition Prints.”