Cowboy Artist Charlie Russell’s Story Comes to Orcas June 13-14

Cowboy-Artist Charlie Russell is the subject of Lois Harris' appearances on Orcas Island, June 13-14

On Sun., June 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. Anacortes author Lois V. Harris will read and sign copies of her new inspiring children’s book, Charlie Russell: Tale-Telling Cowboy Artist, at Darvill’s Bookstore.

On Monday, June 14, she will give two presentations at Orcas Island Elementary, introducing children to Charlie and his artwork.

Charlie Russell became a frontiersman early in his life. From 1880 on, he rode and worked with horses.This biography for children is illustrated by Russell’s own vibrant paintings and follows Russell from his school days through adulthood and reveals how he held on to his dreams, living out a child’s cowboy fantasy.

Russell not only wanted to experience the West, he wanted to replicate it. It took years of hard work and determination to land a job as a cattleman and longer still for him to master his artistic talents. Through stories, clay, wax and bronze figures, and paintings, he was able to capture that rare spirit of the region and pass it along to others.

Russell became a famous artist, author, outdoorsman, environmentalist, storyteller, and beloved Western figure. Today thousands of his paintings, sculptures, and drawings are held in the C. M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana. This book pays tribute to a great Western artist, encouraging every young cowboy to live out his dreams.

Lois Harris

The author of  Charlie Russell: Tale-Telling Cowboy Artist is Anacortes resident Lois V. Harris. Her fiction, nonfiction, and photography have appeared in children’s magazines and the L.A. Times. She is also the author of Mary Cassatt: Impressionist Painter, available from Pelican Press. Harris is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Authors Guild, the University of Washington Alumni Association, and the Seattle Art Museum. She lives with her family and two cats in Anacortes, Washington, and enjoys visiting museums and learning about art.