Artist’s Statement
“For my artwork to succeed, I think it’s imperative to interact with the place or animal I am choosing to portray. That’s the best part of my job; getting out of the studio and observing the surroundings, the animals, and even the temperature and smells. All these things are what I think about when drawing or painting.” -Karmel Timmons
As a child, Karmel loved a new box of crayons and a big piece of paper to draw on, and while she has changed her medium, she still loves to draw (and paint). As a young adult, freshly arrived in rural Colorado, the mountain and prairie landscapes and the animals that filled them inspired Karmel to put pencil to paper and “draw what she saw” every day; horses and cattle, and thus began her career as an artist. Now, after almost 30 years in Colorado, the time is right for a change of scenery; a return to a quiet, country setting with views of the Big Horn mountains and the high plains of northern Wyoming providing a new source of inspiration.
Combining her ability to capture detail, texture, and mood in pencil with her admiration for her equine subjects resulted in a career as a professional artist that has spanned over 20 years.
Karmel has exhibited her work at the Coors Western Art Show, Denver, CO; Buffalo Bill Western Art Show, Cody, WY; Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show, Cheyenne, Wy; Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY; Cowgirl Up! in Wickenburg, AZ; Mountain Oyster Show, Tucson, AZ and the American Academy of Equine Art, Lexington, KY.
Her work has been published in Cowboys & Indians, The Cottage Journal, Southwest Art, Art of the West, Western Art Collector, Western Horseman, Eclectic Horseman, and Horses in Art.
| 2025 | Mary Belle Grant Award Co-Winner – Coors Western Art Show and Sale | Denver Colorado |
| 2024 | Best of Western Horseman Awards – Best Artist – WINNER | |
| 2024 | American’s Horse in Art – American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum | Amarillo, Texas |
| 2023, 2024, 2025 | Western Horseman magazine calendar illustrations | |
| Coors Western Art Show National Western Stock Show | Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale | Cheyenne, WY |
| 2019 – 2022 | Hold Your Horses! Exhibition & Sale, Phippen Museum | Prescott, AZ |
| 2004 – Present | Coors Western Art Show National Western Stock Show | Denver, CO |
| 2018 – 2022 | Brinton 101 Invitational at the Brinton Museum | Big Horn, WY |
| 2004 – Present | Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West | Cody, WY |
| 2010, 2018, 2019 | Cowgirl Up! at the Desert Caballeros Museum | Wickenburg, AZ |
| 2017 – 2018 | Mountain Oyster Art Show and Sale | Tucson, AZ |
| 2016 | Art Renewal Center 2016/2017 Salon – Finalist | New Jersey |
| 2016 | Art for the Horses –Edyth Horton Memorial Award | Parker, CO |
| 2014-2019 | Signature Member Society of Animal Artists | U.S.A |
| 2013 | Art Renewal Center 2012/2013 Salon (Honorable Mention) | New Jersey |
| 2013 | Representing the West People’s Choice | Pueblo, CO |
| 2010 | Horses in Art AQHA Hall of Fame | Amarillo, TX |
| 2009 | Altermann Galleries Solo Show | Santa Fe, NM |
| 2008 | Representing the West People’s Choice Honorable Mention 2-D | Pueblo, CO |
| 2004 -present | Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale 2005-2008 People’s Choice Award 2008 Featured Artist | Denver, CO |
| 2004 -present | Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale 2004 People’s Choice Award | Cody, WY |
| 2004-2005 | Colorado Governors Invitational | Loveland, CO |
| 2003 -2004 | Peppertree Art Show | Santa Ynez, CA |
| 2002 | American Academy of Equine Art Else Tuckerman Award for Excellence in Classical Portraiture | Lexington, KY |
| 2001 – 2003 | Phippen Western Art Show 2001 2nd Place Drawing 2002 3rd Place Drawing 2003 1st Place Drawing | Prescott, AZ |
Gallery Representation | ||
| Wild Horse Gallery Steamboat Springs, CO | ||
| Ballards Fine Art Sheridan, WY | ||
Publications | ||
| Magazines | ||
| Cowboys & Indians – Art Gallery feature – Nov/Dec 2018 | ||
| The Cottage Journal – “Drawn to the Arts” Feature Article – Winter 2017 | ||
| Southwest Art -“Drawing on Determination and Strength”- Feature Article – December 2017 | ||
| Western Art Collector -“Elemental Art” Group Article | ||
| Western Horseman – May 2017 – Cover | ||
| Art of the West — Jan/Feb 2011 Feature | ||
| Western Art Collector — August 2009 — Cover and Feature | ||
| Eclectic Horseman — August 2009 — Cover | ||
| Southwest Art Magazine — August 2008 — Feature | ||
| Wildlife Art Magazine — May 2008 — Feature | ||
| Horses in Art – Fall 2008 — Feature | ||
| Western Horseman — January 2008 — Article | ||
| Cascade Horseman — January 2007 — Cover and Feature | ||
| Australian Quarter Horse — December 07 Feature | ||
| The Cultural Times — August 2006 — Cover and Feature | ||
| Southwest Art Magazine — June 2006 Artist to Watch | ||
| Books | ||
| Horse Wise by Cheryl Kimball cover | ||
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Of Women and Horses II by Ga Wa Ni Pony Boy
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