Nicholas firfires biography

Nicholas S. Firfires was.
Nicholas S. Firfires was born on the Waunakee Ranch near Santa Barbara, California November 10th, 1917.
Nicholas Samuel Firfires (1917 - 1990) was active/lived in California.

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Nicholas Firfires

Birth place or City of origin:	Santa Barbara
State of origin:	CA
Last known City:
Last known State:	CA
Start/Birth date:	1917
Death/End date:	1990

Nicholas S. Firfires was born in Santa Barbara and grew up on ranches in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County. A descendant of California vaqueros, Nick learned all the skills of working cowboys: breaking horses, herding cattle, and working cow ponies before he graduated from Santa Maria High School. Mr. Firfires’ other passion was drawing animals, cowboys, Native Americans, vaqueros and Western scenery. Later he wrote, "I soon realized that painting a bronc stomper breaking a horse was more important to me than doing the job myself." Nicholas Firfires was a founding member of the Cowboy Artists of America and a member of the Rancheros Visitadores.

He attended the Art Center School and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. After the war, he opened a studio in Santa Barbara and illustrated for Western magazines while working on easel paintings. His illustrations included B

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Nicholas S. Firfires 1917-1990

Nicholas S. Firfires was born on the Waunakee Ranch near Santa Barbara, California November 10th, 1917. Firfires was a descendant of the Californios and vaqueros learned all the skills of working cowboys by living on the big ranches north of Santa Barbara, in San Luis Obispo County. Skills such as, breaking horses, herding cattle, and working cow ponies before he graduated from Santa Maria High School. He worked with horses until he was 24. As a child, he showed great interest and skill in drawing animals, especially horses, and after graduating from high school, he attended the Art Center School and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles.

In 1941, he enlisted in the Army and was with the Combat Engineers in Europe, where he did many illustrations for military publications and also portraits of Army personnel. After the war, he opened a studio in Santa Barbara and illustrated for Western magazines while working on easel paintings. His illustrations included “Buck Jones,” a popular comic strip and “Gene Autry” in the 1950s. Portr

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Born in Santa Barbara, CA on Nov. 10, 1917, a descendant of the California vaqueros. At an early age Firfires began riding horses and drawing cowboy subjects. He worked with horses until age 24 and then moved to Los Angeles to study at the Art Center and Otis Art Institute. Following service in WWII, he was a successful illustrator of western magazines until 1957; he then devoted himself to easel paintings. From his studio in Santa Barbara came an abundance of figure studies, western genre, and various other subjects. Depressed due to the death of his wife, he died of a self-inflicted bullet wound on Sept. 22, 1990. Member: Cowboy Artists of America. Exh: Biltmore Gallery (LA), 1960, 1966 (solos); Saddleback Inn (Santa Ana), 1969; Cowboy Hall of Fame, 1969 (silver medal).

Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Artists of the American West(Samuels); American Western Art(Harmsen); The Cowboy in Art (Ainsworth); Santa Barbara News Press, 9-25-1990 (obituary).