![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxIU0GYrpTRBgqJ1gGxUDRGemIFvMFuZcCKFef4vxoB_RNpv_OcBGDRknZuCzG6DlNHXqX5hy9TQGZaesXV9LoyVRcvtvvyZWegKUhxd8RAmH0dqGWz7npz0C3uC2NIsvOHI_use128Bd/s400/thompson.jpg) |
TOMMY THOMPSON, OUTFITTER | © Bama, 1973 |
James Bama (b. 1926) grew up in New York, studied at the Art Students League there, and after a stint in the Army Air Corps, began working there. For more than twenty years, he had a successful career as a commercial artist, producing illustrations for publications like
Reader's Digest and
The Saturday Evening Post. Norman Rockwell was a great inspiration, though Bama wanted to carve his own, distinctive niche.
A 1966 vacation in Wyoming stirred within him a love for the history and people of the West, and for the great outdoors. He produced 18 paintings, all with a Western theme, which he placed in a New York gallery in 1971. They sold with such success that Bama soon moved to Wyoming and began specializing in the sort of paintings that follow.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EjUjDlvdCa5U0GVt6ZpdoVwpuQhyphenhyphencAht2Iji_4TDjLN_soQCIbTqlbFRVabZTLwpcVWPBflKSYtrDMm653RwarOquhodU303zEFLFyGuqjVulcQkYiMwBTixPex24f2TL7iZg3O6mbVW/s400/laird.jpg) |
TOM LAIRD, PROSPECTOR | © Bama, 1972 |
His paintings are photo-realistic and have the advantage of Bama's understanding of professional lighting techniques. As I study his work, I recognize that Bama tends to have neutral backgrounds, dark and grayed middle tones with high-contrast details, and usually one color that predominates.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAlqTGlDpz6yZ3nCSYtdCJ9-3LdlZVnz3B1NtFXV3EEDl1hvT4wLPkvfCdHiH-ePlTiNsEU3rC04SEwDxwikiMOO_BwMFgHpt-URrMjxnsSNHrN3qngiBCVKMIZUt_buOujn5f1mhNLHE/s400/no_1.jpg) |
BILL SMITH - NUMBER ONE | © Bama, 1974 |
Bill Smith was the World's Champion Saddle Bronc Rider in 1969, 1971 and 1973. Bama described him as "shy, modest and a gentleman."
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTelc7OR-rvb8swRclmVJMPx7hqF_FAibQ2L8jua4UQtjAZ-D2772etP-WuPgYUfaKRgZejAPSC4kFOjXlcv2Cmh3DvoUS3dzR4oqzPZKeIAwE3jzrRbFRPyuQjNmKIxO4rjaw1WjfeY7f/s400/brown.jpg) |
GEORGE WASHINGTON BROWN, STAGECOACH DRIVER | © Bama |
Mr. Brown was 92 when Bama painted him, the oldest living 24-horse team stagecoach driver in Wyoming.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqyoNwb-p0jcIWvgab0Odw4pptnLrS0l5A3pnGmuQyM_BF1hUezw8Y3JNg4NhS-F0mpcE9b32f6Gyf9sBKeS_p8BdCYXxftqvQuigslNsc-o7cKNZ9bfd91bj-khtjWq9qS8Gzh-dFLUuM/s1600/chester_1.jpg) |
CHESTER MEDICINE CROW WITH HIS FATHER'S PEACE PIPE | © Bama, 1973 |
One of James Bama's favorite sitters was Chester Medicine Crow, son of a famous 19th century Crow chief. Here, along with his father's peace pipe, he's posing with the medal that President Woodrow Wilson gave his father in 1913.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOxIoi9RYHTXqlvaJlucyIv1iMY2zKLk-WpXuvkaIqWHFRLesDX3KQc2TQ4UzJGOfP2LqncQbrovg1Zgmoo2ukg0FOLyWWKEdbI5zshS5m2HYUS2BBCdT9spKMe8mAK049cK_YhCq43Z2/s400/chester_2.jpg) |
CHESTER MEDICINE CROW IN HIS RESERVATION HAT | © Bama, 1973 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKQTdasqJ_qlWPIL8PLgLcdzRRF2tbgQfpusDEz_NFmAoN2HXTqIoGCh9G4KhnAwp8XRwwnmskhMt07V1x4WK1egF_LWzSxBgEjx1I_6TwgypDTPHWpwjldqVDUSPlDcbnA6f-HWvxX7e/s400/chester_3.jpg) |
CHESTER MEDICINE CROW WITH HIS FATHER'S FLAG | © Bama, 1972 |
Above is Bama's painting of Chester Medicine Crow with his father's 46-star flag, which dates back to 1900. By chance, I was able to find an image of Chief Medicine Crow from that period, with a similar, but different American flag.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pVIdnN-qKr8i10HIWqemL56gVksiozVEhTyBreWHVAIGBNU8-enE_N7xPkBLGXFvNdAQ63OJJ68m6vIDxxmPepr7PinMn3-9EHXcLMElzIWcOxGv2vce1UgADQ1jE1H53K2CeFQJ-68m/s1600/medicine_crow_flag.jpg) |
CHIEF MEDICINE CROW | amertribes.proboards.com |
Save the last photograph of Chester Medicine Crow's father,
all the above images come from The Western Art of James Bama,
A Peacock Press/Bantam Book, 1975.
James Bama was inducted into the Illustrator's Hall of Fame in 2000.
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