Edward Borein

born San Leandro, California, 1872; died Santa Barbara, California, 1945

BiographyEdward Borein sketched his first cowboys and cattle drives at the age of five in his hometown of San Leandro, California. As a teenager he worked as a cowboy in Oakland, and then in 1891 he enrolled briefly at the California School of Design (now the San Francisco Art Institute). Finding school too structured, he quit after one month and headed to southern California and Mexico to work as a vaquero, sketching as he went. Returning to Oakland in 1904, he began working as an illustrator, building a successful career. In 1907 he moved to New York, where he opened a studio that became a gathering place for westerners, including such famous figures as Charles Russell and Will Rogers. Borein became lifelong friends with Russell and often visited him in Montana. While in New York, Borein learned etching at the Art Students League and became a master printmaker. He was equally adept at ink drawing and watercolor painting. He moved to Santa Barbara in 1921 and taught at the Santa Barbara School of the Arts until his death. He was a prolific artist renowned for his detailed images of cowboys, California ranch life, and Native Americans.

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