Morin shares insights into western art with small crowd at BFAC; Republic of Texas exhibit to wrap up Tuesday, March 18

March 17

16:15 2025

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By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

Those who attended the art talk at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center on March 8 got a bonus experience when gallery owner Charles Morin not only discussed the art that was on display but also brought a pair of celebrity boots and spurs.

In addition to the paintings, sculptures and pottery, Morin had a pair of boots and spurs belonging to the late movie star Roy Rogers. Along with the items, he also had notebooks filled with documents detailing their history.

Charles Morin talks to a small crowd at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center on March 8 about a pair of boots and spurs that once belonged to movie star Roy Rogers. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

“How do I know these are Roy Rogers, not just because they have RR on it. But because I have a box full of information from everyone that owned it with certified letters … without this book (of documentation), those spurs are worth about $5,000 … They sold for $65,000 in 1990.”

The spurs were made in the 1940s by the Bohlin Company, the same company that made the elaborate saddle that was on display at the BFAC with Morin’s other artwork.

While he talked, Morin passed the spurs around so that those in attendance could get an up-close look at them. He also had a pair of Roy Rogers’ boots that were made in the 1980s.

Most of Morin’s talk focused on the artwork that was on display in the small gallery at the BFAC. Most of the items were created by Texas artists or featured Texas-related themes.

Morin owns galleries in Fredericksburg and San Antonio and brought the art to Breckenridge for the exhibit earlier this year.

The display included several pieces of early Texas pottery, churns made by Jeremiah Hogue in Titus County in the 1860s to 1880s. Morin explained how the spots on the pottery came from the iron that was naturally in the clay and created the spots when the piece was fired in the kiln, as well as about other aspects of the pottery.

“Anytime you have a recessed lip inside … that meant that a lid sat down in there. So the difference between a churn and a storage jar is there’s no lip in there (in a storage jar),” he said. “A storage jar would have a lid that went on across the top. The churns would have this recessed lip, and the lid would sit down in there, so when you were churning, the lid wasn’t flying off back and forth. It stayed recessed in there.”

In his art talk, Charles Morin discussed the early Texas pottery, as well as the paintings, that were on display at the BFAC. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

As he moved around the room discussing the work of artists such as Emil Hermann, Joe Rader Roberts, G. Harvey, Leon Collins, Jose Vives-Atsara and many others. He talked about the values of the paintings and the various things that affect the value, ranging from whether or not the artist is still alive to what’s popular in modern culture at the time. For example, he said the TV show “Yellowstone” elevated the value of western art due to its popularity.

In discussing a painting by G. Harvey, Morin explained that a couple of things boosted the value of his paintings. First, a painting titled “Boomtown Drifters,” from the T. Boone Pickens collection, was estimated to sell at $300,000 to $400,000 at auction. When the bidding ended, it was sold for more than $1 million.

“Once an artist passes a million dollars for one painting, other eyeballs open to their art that would have never, ever dreamt of buying a G. Harvey,” Morin said. “Prices went up. I mean, the day after, substantially. … And the next thing that came along to elevate all of Western art was ‘Yellowstone.’ All of a sudden, everybody wanted to be a cowboy. They wanted cowboy art, cowboy boots. … that really elevated his works, as well as every other Western artist that is pretty well known.”

Following the art talk, Morin answered questions from the audience and then started packing up the paintings for the trip back to his gallery. You can read more about the art that Morin collects and sells on his website, www.vintagetexaspaintings.com.

“Remembering the Republic of Texas”

Also on May 8, members of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas – Picketville Chapter, many dressed in authentic pioneer costumes, were in the “Remembering the Republic of Texas” exhibit in the BFAC’s main gallery. That exhibit is still on display and includes a variety of household utensils and farming/ranching tools, including pots and pans, hatchets, clothing, butter churns, clothing, pocket watches and much more.

On Tuesday, March 18, members of the DRT-Picketville Chapter will return for hands-on demonstrations. The Texas-themed exhibit will be taken down on Wednesday, March 19.

The BFAC, located at 207 N. Breckenridge Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

For more information, call the BFAC at 254-559-6602, visit the website www.breckenridgefineart.org or send an email to info@breckenridgefineart.org.

The BFAC also has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/breckenridgefinearts207.

Barbara Trammell with the Picketville Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, left, talks to Becky McIntire, McKlane Roberts and Shannon Roberts about some of the items on display at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

A variety of antique items related to Texas history are on display at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center through Tuesday, March 18, Cody Bedford takes a look at a cannon that is part of the exhibit. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Charles Morin, right, talks to a group at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center on Saturday, March 8, about the exhibit of Texas artwork from his galleries. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)