From rough-hewn to lodge luxe

WESTERN DESIGN HAS EVOLVED FAR BEYOND ITS RUSTIC ROOTS, AS VISITORS TO CODY'S ANNUAL ROUNDUP LEARN
By Suzanne S. Brown Denver Post Staff Writer

Cody, Wyo. - Rimmed by rugged mountains, this popular town in the country's least-populated state hosts travelers on their way to Yellowstone National Park and history buffs look­ing into Buffalo Bill lore. Along with its summer rodeos and nightly Wild West gunfighter demonstrations, Cody also has become an art mecca.
Each September the town of 9,000 swells with an influx of artists, crafts­men and collectors from throughout the region and both coasts. Gallery openings, fine-art auctions and a black-tie ball are part of the festivities, while aficionados of furniture and the decorative arts flock to the Western Design Conference.
Now in its 12th year, the conference has grown from a gathering of local craftsmen to a four-day juried exhibi­tion and sale of the work of 100 artists and craftspeople, a fashion show, de­sign seminars and home tours.
One of the founders, Cody furniture maker Jimmy Covert, says the confer­ence and its participants have grown up too. "In the early days, there was mostly simple, rustic stuff. A lot of us were amateurs and just learning."
"People came out of the hills and thought they had a unique design," Co­vert says. "Then they'd look across the floor and see another design that was very similar, so they'd go back to the hills and stretch themselves. It's won­derful to see the level come up."
No longer is the image of Western design confined to wagon-wheel ta­bles and rough-hewn wood, Covert says. But there's still a handcrafted quality that recalls the cowboy furniture that was common on ranches a century ago. Early settlers became furniture makers out of necessity, crafting tables and chairs out of natural material they found on their property.

Andy Sanchez of Algodones, N.M., built this table with inlaid horn design.

Crafting inspiration
The conference is inspiring, says Andy Sanchez of Alg­odones, N.M., who with his four sons crafts tables, room di­viders and buffets. They use only dead standing trees and let the timber dictate the piece's function. Natural holes in the wood are inlaid with marble, turquoise, silver and al­abaster.
"The craftspeople work all year alone in their studios, so when they come together, there's great synergy," says Michael Wollaeger, editor-in­-chief of Western Interiors and Design, a Los Angeles-based magazine that publishes six is­sues annually. The publication sponsored the Western Design Conference for the first time this year.