Walter Piehl, Jr., was turned onto rodeos at a very young age by his father, who was a horse-trader as well as a part-time rodeo producer and pick-up man. Piehl – who is from Marion, North Dakota – would himself serve as a rodeo announcer for more than thirty years. 

His love of the rodeo combined with another childhood interest – drawing – to give him the inspiration behind his paintings, which deal largely with rodeo themes. His sweetheart of the rodeo series is dedicated to the bucking horse and addresses the action and energy of the horse and rider in conflict. His roping fool series – inspired by the Will Rogers film of the same name –  is an homage to the great artists of the lariat. That is, cowboys and cowgirls who use rope tricks to convey a sense of movement, not as a tool of a trade.

Piehl is currently a professor of art at Minot State University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art and art education from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and went on to earn Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in painting from the University of North Dakota. Additionally, he holds a degree in printmaking from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

He has been the subject of a number of articles in both rodeo and art publications, as well as the documentary North Dakota Artist: Walter Piehl on Prairie Public Television. During the months of April, May, and June 2001, he was the featured artist in the offices of North Dakota Governor John Hoeven and First Lady Mikey Hoeven.

For more information on Walter Piehl, Jr., including samples of his work, visit the Web site for the North Dakota Art Gallery Association.

- Ben Nemenoff

Contact Walter Piehl, Jr.:

11000 86^th Street Southeast
Minot, ND 58701
701-858-3109