A self-taught artist, my formal education was in Technical Drafting. Currently living near Parker, Colorado, I spent the last twenty-six years in the engineering industry, designing and drawing plans for bridges in CAD. During most of my design career, my attention to my art was limited, but I returned to drawing with a renewed interest at the beginning of 2019. I started A.R. Pelster Western Art LLC with my wife, Connie, in March 2020. I continue to work in structural design full time and draw part time. Creativity and ability to visualize 3-dimensionally play an important role in my work in structural design and in fine art, as does attention to detail.
Raised on a ranch north of Ordway, I have deep roots on the Eastern Plains and the Lower Arkansas Valley of Colorado. My family has been ranching or farming in the region since the beginning of the Twentieth Century. My subjects are friends, family, and neighbors who continue to live and work in rural Southeastern Colorado. Theirs is a misunderstood way of life that struggles to survive under seemingly constant attack from the outside world. While inaccurate portrayals of the current and past rural life in the West abound, I endeavor to portray real cattlemen and women in day-to-day situations. My images are not staged and the subjects are not in costume. My drawings are actual snapshots of working cowboys and livestock. These are tenacious, hardworking individuals and families continuing to preserve and pass down a livelihood and lifestyle.
