Cowboys On TV by Nancy Cook Smith

Nancy Cook Smith’s Cowboys on TV (2014) is a large-scale fabric collage artwork that reinterprets Western Americana through layered textiles and pattern. Measuring 40 x 42 inches, the piece is constructed from cut and assembled fabrics featuring cowboys, horses, cattle, and desert scenes, set against a bold horizontal striped ground.

Working in textile collage, Smith transforms familiar cowboy imagery into something fragmented and rhythmic—echoing the experience of watching vintage Westerns on television. The repetition of figures and scenes mimics channel surfing or broadcast loops, where narratives blur and iconic imagery becomes pattern.

The materiality is central: printed fabrics carry their own histories, textures, and cultural references, adding depth beyond what a painted surface could achieve. The structured stripe background anchors the composition, creating a tension between motion (riders, animals, action) and control (grid, repetition, textile assembly).

This work sits at the intersection of contemporary textile art, Western art, and narrative collage, appealing to collectors interested in fiber-based practices and modern interpretations of Americana. Both tactile and conceptual, Cowboys on TV functions as a statement piece that rewards close inspection.

Details

• Original textile collage work
• Size: 40 x 42 inches
• Mixed vintage and contemporary woven fabrics
• One-of-a-kind piece
  
• Unframed