Morris Rippel

(1930-2009)

Although he took his first art lesson at the age of 10, Morris Rippel did not become a professional artist until he was well into adult life.  He studied architecture at the University of New Mexico. Following graduation, he spent several years in the architectural field and painted only as a hobby.  However, after he sold the first two paintings that he submitted to a Santa Fe gallery, he decided that he could turn his hobby into a profession. He specialized in watercolors and the difficult medium of egg tempera. His early artistic influences were Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth, both of whom were also masters of those two techniques.  He became a member of the National Academy of Western Art in 1975 and won the prestigious Prix de West prize presented by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in 1979.  Previously he had won gold medals for his watercolors in that show in 1976 and 1977. In addition to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, his work is in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum, and the Gilcrease Museum.

Morris Rippel