Book excerpt: Each era in the history of the West has produced a small group of artists who have served to define the Western art genre and whose works have struck a particular chord with the public. Today, the market for Western art continues to boom and the Cowboy Artists of America have made the biggest contribution to this phenomenon. The most prestigious and widely recognized group of Western artists in the country, the CAA has defined the parameters of Western art, dictating style, subject matter, and market value. This large-format book features the artwork of more than fifty current and past members of this elite organization of painters and sculptors. Their subjects range from mountain men, early settlers, and Native Americans, to cowboy life of both the old West and the contemporary ranch. The Western landscape's defining character provides an underlying force throughout.