A couple of years ago, when nationally acclaimed artist Chuck Middlekauff moved from Austin, Texas, to Wichita Falls to escape the traffic, he found a place where he can freely drive his bright yellow 1973 Corvette Stingray, paint in his apartment studio, and generally enjoy life with his wife Carol.

Inspired by his childhood cowboy heroes and the American kitsch he grew up with through the 50's and 60's, Chuck paints what he calls Western pop. Subjects range from in-your-face cowboys---from the knees down---with a yo-yo to rusty Coke machines, gas pumps and pickup trucks, neon signs, billboards, and mural-type backdrops. Combining things that don't necessarily appear together, but in his mind they could, he enjoys the humor in juxtaposition.

Andy Warhol's use of advertising design as art also appeals to him, so he regularly includes Marilyn Monroe, soup cans, Coca-Cola logos, and other pop subjects. He often leaves areas of a painting unfinished, leaving the canvas and underdrawing exposed, and to continue with the idea of a painting of a painting in progress, he paints on images of the art tools that usually roll around on his paintings while he's working. Then, to add excitement, he often spatters paint across the whole thing.

Between paintings, besides the usual cruises in that Vette, he also plays his Fender guitar and pushes heavy barbells around. You might also find him and Carol in a prison or jail as they travel to Bill Glass Behind the Walls prison ministry events. What an artistic character! You can find his paintings on his website, as well as at Sorrel Sky Gallery in Durango, Colorado; Jace Romick Galleries in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; and Mountain Trails Galleries in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Park City, Utah, and Bozeman, Montana.