Collection: Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey

Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey

Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey began her artistic career in the 1970s, working primarily in watercolor before discovering the vibrancy of French dyes on crepe de chine silk. Drawing on her years of experience with water media, she developed a distinctive style that blends expressive color with fluid composition. Today, she is celebrated for her signature Western motifs, vivid florals, and powerful wildlife portrayals, with works held in collections around the world.

In 2020, Nancy launched her one-woman traveling museum exhibition, Forever Glacier, a series of twenty-five large-format silk paintings depicting the mammals, habitats, and landscapes of Glacier National Park. The exhibition debuted at the C.M. Russell Museum before traveling to the Booth Western Art Museum.

In addition to her studio practice, Nancy teaches silk painting workshops throughout the year. For fourteen years, she has led a popular workshop at Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, Montana, a five-star Relais & Châteaux resort.

Nancy is a founding member of the Russell Skull Society of Artists and has long participated in The Russell: A Sale to Benefit the C.M. Russell Museum. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at the National Cowboy Museum’s Small Works, Great Wonders show, the National Cowgirl Museum, the Gilcrease Museum, and venues across the country. In 2010, she was selected as an Official Centennial Artist for Glacier National Park. Her many honors include serving as the Featured Artist for the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival’s 30th Anniversary—where her painting set a new auction record—and multiple People’s Choice awards at the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale in Cody, Wyoming. She is also a regular participant in the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s Night of Artists.

Nancy is represented by Cawdrey Gallery in Whitefish, Montana; West Lives On Contemporary Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Sorrel Sky Gallery in Santa Fe; and Big Horn Galleries in Cody, Wyoming.