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Show F. Euray Anderson West Valley City, Utah born: 28 March, 1902 Western artist, Franklin Euray Anderson, has had a long and productive career in both graphic and fine art. Born in Ephraim, the oldest of nine children, his natural artistic ability was recognized at the age of four, when he cut out, free-hand, a beautiful array of paper animals and birds which are still astounding today. His skill soon expanded to pencil, pen and chalk with which he was able to produce a likeness of not only animals, but people. Euray's father was a ranger for the Forest Service and the family often spent summers at the Seeley Creek Ranger Station in Ephraim Canyon. They also maintained a home in town, as well as a 200 acre farming and ranching operation in Manassa on the west side of Sanpete Valley. As a child, Euray remembers working with the hired man, breaking horses, haying and herding cattle, helping his father record rain measurements from collection stations in the mountains and riding with him to inspect local rangelands. Memories of these experiences and of life in early 20th century, rural Utah have provided unending inspiration and subject matter for his art. A hitched ride on a freight train brought him to Salt Lake City in about 1915 where he found work with a sign painting company. He was soon designing both window displays and some of the first neon signs in the state. He also gained a reputation for painting theater sets for the Salt Lake Theater and for rural theaters throughout Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. 124 Cowboy Poetry From Utah |