Artist William "Willy" Matthews celebrates the release of Bolo: Design, Style, Heritage, joined by Lyle Lovett, who wrote the book's foreword.

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Doors at 6:00 PM · Event at 6:30 PM · Signing to follow · Thursday, October 15 · First Light Books

Willy Matthews, the Denver watercolorist known for five decades of paintings of the working West, celebrates Bolo: Design, Style, Heritage, a 400-page survey of more than 500 bolos, many never before published. He's joined by four-time Grammy winner and Texas State Musician Lyle Lovett, who wrote the book's foreword.

Expect a conversation about craftsmanship, Western style, and the Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni artisans who shaped the form, followed by a book signing. Bolos encouraged.

Free RSVPs help us plan. A purchase of the book guarantees you a seat.

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BOLO: DESIGN, STYLE, HERITAGE
Discover the design, craftsmanship, and cultural impact of the bolo tie, in all its diversity and richness.​

A celebration of a unique American art form, this volume showcases more than 500 bolo pieces, many of which have never before been published, alongside photographs of cultural icons wearing them.

With origins in the American southwest more than one hundred years ago, the bolo tie is a handcrafted form of jewelry that can take many forms, embracing motifs from nature, animals, and geometry. Some bolos are quite simple—stunning pieces of engraved silver—others ornate and opulent, with inlaid mosaics and intricate designs of precious gems and stones.

But while bolos embody the heritage and style of the American West, they are also customized to become powerful forms of self-expression. These art pieces have long captured the attention of artists, musicians, and style-forward individuals, and photographs include American icons showing many different ways to look good in a bolo—Bob Dylan wearing a turquoise-studded bear claw bolo or Bob Weir in his peyote bird bolo, among many others.

​The book highlights artists who have shaped the medium, especially Native American artisans. Featuring work from the communities of Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni artists, as well as others around the country, the book is organized thematically, allowing readers to discover connections across eras, regions, and styles.

A fashion statement and a cultural touchstone, every bolo tells a story. Beautiful photographs showcase each piece's craftsmanship and character, and the texts provide context and insight into their origins and symbolism.

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About the author
William "Willy" Matthews is an artist, known for his watercolor paintings of the West, as well as a photographer and writer. Born in New York City in 1949 and raised in the Bay Area, he began his career in Los Angeles designing album covers for Warner Bros. and Capitol Records, then ran a graphic design studio in Colorado until 1990, when he dedicated himself full time to painting. He is best known for his portrayals of the working cowboys of the great ranches of the American West, the subject of his monographs Cowboys & Images: The Watercolors of William Matthews and William Matthews: Working the West. His commissions include cover artwork and illustrations for Pulitzer Prize–winning author Annie Proulx's Close Range and the 1994 United States Postal Service commemorative postal card Canyon de Chelly. His watercolors are held in collections including the Denver Art Museum, Gilcrease Museum, Autry National Center, Eiteljorg Museum, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His work has been the subject of the Denver Art Museum exhibition William Matthews: Trespassing and the retrospective William Matthews: Decades at Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West. He lives and works in Denver.

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About the foreword author
Lyle Lovett is a celebrated country songwriter and singer. Since his self-titled debut in 1986, he has become one of music's most vibrant and iconic performers, fusing country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel, and blues across 14 albums. Among his many accolades, besides four Grammy Awards, he received the Americana Music Association's inaugural Trailblazer Award and the Texas Medal of Arts, and was named Texas State Musician. He is a member of both the Texas Heritage Songwriters' Association Hall of Fame and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Lovett also contributed to Rizzoli's Stetson: American Icon. He was born in Houston and grew up in Klein, Texas.

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