Kenneth Wyatt died on May 24, said Kenneth Wyatt Galleries. He would have been 91 in July.

Wyatt is best known as one of the most prolific Western artists in the country.

However, the well-known artist wore many hats and titles. Wyatt was an artist, author, Navy veteran, father, husband and mentor.

Carl McDaniel, along with Kenneth Wyatt Galleries, shared his in-depth knowledge of Wyatt and its history. McDaniel shared, “Mr. Kenneth White was born in Wichita Falls, Texas on July 17, 1930. When the family decided to move Stephenville a little later, so that all the children, along with Kenneth, had the opportunity to go to college after high school . Well, Kenneth graduated from high school at the age of 14, became a pastor at the age of 14, and had his first church at the age of 14.

McDaniel went on to say that before Wyatt graduated from high school, the fourteen-year-old had read all the books in his school’s library.

However, McDaniel said it would be a special night in Dallas, Texas later in 1967 that propelled Wyatt to want to start his career as an artist.

“He was setting there drawing on a napkin and drawing a donkey. There was a famous artist who was there by the name of Dimitri Vail, known for his portraits of presidents and personalities. He saw what Kenneth had done and encouraged Kenneth to take up painting, ”Wyatt said.

From there, Wyatt collected his $ 500 by speaking at the event, turned around, and spent hundreds of dollars buying art supplies and two books. “One by Charles Russell and one by Frederick Remington. Both of these artists were cowboys from the 1890s, ”McDaniel explained. He continued, “Kenneth had never been to art school. It was all self-taught, and he would admit it was a God-given talent.

Over a period of 51 years, Wyatt produced over 9,000 paintings.

Over the decades, Wyatt has met many people. In addition, his paintings were always in high demand and sought after by everyone. McDaniel shared that he believed prominent figures such as Queen Elizabeth, President Ronald Reagan, President George W. Bush, Carol Burnett, Sam Donaldson, Sandra Bullock, and Johnny Depp either owned or received the art of Wyatt.

Plus, Wyatt left great impressions on many, like artist Jack Sorenson.

Sorenson said, “I am an artist because of Kenneth Wyatt.”

However, Wyatt found a particular interest in Sorenson.

“He saw me riding a horse in a bar ditch near Palo Duro Canyon and he said, ‘You look more like a cowboy than anyone I’ve ever seen. Would you like to pose for me? And I said – he said, I’m a western artist. Would you like to pose for me? And I said, “I don’t have time”. He said, “I pay $ 20 an hour and all you have to do is ride back and forth.” And I said, ‘Do you have this camera with you?’ “

Sorenson modeled for Wyatt for the next four years and while Sorenson was Wyatt’s muse he was also able to learn more about the art from one of the best. Wyatt used Sorenson as a model for at least a few hundred paintings.

“He taught me two very valuable lessons as an artist. He said, always do paintings that have a story, because people remember the story more than they remember the painting, and always give it a smart title, ”Sorenson explained. He later said: “I owe him a great debt. He was a wonderful man. I can’t say enough good things about her.

While the world has lost an artist with a heart of gold, Kenneth Wyatt’s legacy will live on forever.