Cashmere artist celebrates American West in new Pybus Public Market exhibit

For local artist Diann Kincaid, the West is more than a landscape. It is a lifelong fascination shaped by childhood memories, years of travel and countless hours spent around horses.

That passion comes to life in "Whispers of the Wranglers," Kincaid's newest collection of impressionistic oil paintings, on display at Art Alley at Pybus Public Market. A reception is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 10. The exhibit celebrates the grit, beauty and enduring traditions of the American West through expressive scenes of cowboys, cowgirls and horses. Beverages and hors d'oeuvres will be available from Pybus vendors for a donation.

"I was 10 years old when I started painting," Kincaid said. "I was always artistic. I was always doing something artsy."

Born in Ohio, Kincaid grew up surrounded by farmland, cattle and horses. Those early experiences laid the foundation for a body of work that continued to evolve as she lived throughout the West, including California, Washington and Arizona.

"It's compiled by my life," she said. "I lived in Ohio, so it's farmland, cattle. I was exposed to that. Then I moved to San Francisco and started exploring California rodeos. I just loved the movement and the motion."

That fascination deepened during her time in Sedona, Arizona, where dramatic red rock formations and shifting light inspired her photography book, "Shadow Chasing in Sedona." Looking for recognizable forms hidden in the landscape later influenced her painting style.

"I would say Sedona greatly influenced me," Kincaid said. "That's where I really got my style - through trying to paint those shadows in the rocks."

Now based in Cashmere, Kincaid has devoted herself to painting since retiring and relocating to North Central Washington in 2020. She approaches her work as a full-time artist, balancing mornings volunteering with horses and afternoons and evenings in the studio.

"A day without art is not a good day for me," she said. "I miss it. I so enjoy it. It's the process of creating."

Her paintings often emphasize gesture and emotion over photorealism. Loose brushstrokes and bold colors convey movement as horses round up cattle, wranglers return home and cowgirls forge lasting bonds with their animals.

"I kind of started off with just not even putting faces in," she said. "I just wanted the gesture or the movement."

Kincaid credits nationally recognized painters Lori Putnam and Scott Christensen as two of her biggest artistic influences, saying Christensen's workshops helped refine her understanding of color and landscape.

Outside the studio, horses remain central to both her life and her work. Since 2021, Kincaid has volunteered with Alatheia Therapeutic Riding Center, where she serves on the board, teaches, helps train horses and takes weekly riding lessons.

"I've learned horsemanship," she said. "I wanted to learn how to actually handle a horse."

That firsthand experience has strengthened the authenticity of her paintings.

"I get the energy from them," she said. "The love of the horse is just captivating for me."

The collection reflects not only sweeping Western landscapes but also quieter moments that highlight the emotional connection between rider and horse. Rather than portraying the West as history, Kincaid presents it as a living culture marked by hard work, resilience and joy.

Although she has completed commissions throughout her career, including paintings for Donald Trump's yacht years ago and large public art installations in Edmonds, Kincaid said her greatest satisfaction comes from continuing to grow as an artist.

With "Whispers of the Wranglers," visitors will find more than scenes of the Old West. They will encounter a deeply personal interpretation of a place and way of life that has inspired Kincaid since childhood.

Through expressive brushstrokes, dramatic light and dynamic movement, she invites viewers to experience the West not as myth, but as something enduring, vibrant and very much alive.

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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 2:09 AM.