Who is Cory Van Lew? 

Born in Mission Viejo, CA, in 1990, Cory Van Lew is a modern visionary whose art transcends conventional boundaries through his innovative theory of transmission. With a profound and nuanced understanding of color, Van Lew crafts palettes that evoke visceral, natural emotions from his audience. His intentional use of color resonates on a deeply sensory level, creating an almost synesthetic experience where pigments transform into a symphony for the eyes, harmonizing as if they were musical notes playing a melody for the soul.

When did you become interested in Western art? 

I was into Western culture before I got into Western art. The first cowboy I met in real life was my 2nd Uncle, “Herbie” when I was young. He had a ranch in Santa Barbara and raised horses. Then my next encounter with Western Culture was as a teenager in High School. At the time I lived in a town called Snohomish, WA. It was a farm town and smelled like cows when I went to high school and a few of my friends had livestock. I rode my first horse when I was 16, a friend owned a nice ranch in town and had some beginner horses for me to try. When I moved out and started living on my own at 17 I lived with a friend who had a beautiful horse and I helped take care of her. So before the art, I was into the culture. 

90’s Western movies were my first fascination with Western art. Movies like City Slickers, Wild Wild West, and The Last of the Mohicans were all my first introductions to Western film. I don't think I dove into Western Artwork until I moved to Austin, Texas in 2015. This move was important to me in understanding some of the inspiration for Western art. The landscapes of the artist Layne Johnson have always been mind blowing to me, the way he captures a Texas sunset reminds me of all the times I was on LSD staring up at them on my rooftop when I lived in Austin. Lots of Western art I was encountering was about depicting the real-life things happening within culture/life and that's something I’ve always made a theme in my artwork. More recently the Western Art Dept. has connected me with even more Western art creators and connoisseurs. In this very modern space that web3 finds itself in, it’s refreshing to find a curation of contemporary Western art with some amazing artists.

Tell us the story behind “The Dealer”

“The Dealer” is the latest generation of character development of a group of Western-inspired outlaws from a parallel universe. These characters all started with inspiration from my “Bullrun” trait in the Rug Radio Faces of Web3 pfp. This was my ode to the cowboy hat cryptopunk trait. After completing the project I wanted to take some of my favorite traits and develop the IP for the artwork. In this case, the cowboy hat with bullhorns has become a special motif of mine. This is the 3rd painting where I’ve included this trait the “bullrun” hat and I plan to continue furthering the development of this IP with sculpture, real wearable versions of the hat, and more paintings as I create a story with these characters. 

The Dealer aka ‘Rhinestone” besides being a ruthless killer, is a cowboy playing the middleman in AI cyborg trade by day and dancing at the disco at night. Rhinestone, a descendant of fossil fuel tycoons, is the black sheep of the family that took on the cyber world and survived the apocalypse in the caves of the Sonoran Desert. This is a prequel of what's to come in the future of my artwork and possibly our reality. The Dealer is a master of supply and demand. The Blewtonians rely on AI for their everyday needs and our dealer knows where to get you what you’re looking for. His voice-activated smartwatch helps him determine and locate rogue cyborgs for trade on the market.  

Can you tell us more about your uncle and his experiences as a Black cowboy? What kind of stories or wisdom did he share with you that shaped your connection to Western culture? 

Uncle Herbie (Roosevelt Hoover), Rest in Paradise as these cowboys, this ongoing series is dedicated to you. Ya know, I didn't spend lots of time with Herbie physically. My Mom and Grandma would always speak very highly and tell stories of him. Herbie was Grandma’s brother, This was the black side of my family I got to know. Uncle Herbie and Nana (grandma) were close, I was close to Nana as well and we all understood each other on a spiritual level. We come from a line of Black Natives in the Natchez tribe. Our ancestors lived along the Mississippi River and were slaves who mixed with the Natives they lived with. Herbie published a book before he died called “Outlaws and Lawmen”, inspired by his Western lifestyle. Growing up I remember Herbie and his friend dressing up in really nice flashy cowboy fits with the spurs, chaps and all for the rodeos when they were in town. The fashion, the flexing, the horse was even flashy, reminded me of how we do it in the city with cars and clothes. It was all the same, this connected me to him and the culture more after seeing that. We are all one, a theme I've set in stone via the blue skin I use in my artwork. Uncle Herbie and Nana are now my connection to the spiritual world. They were so proud of me in the recent times we spent together before they both passed away. I was the first boy grand baby and they got to see me make something of myself before they passed. My grandma also used to wear an iconic Stetson cowboy hat. This is just me honoring them and the impressions they left on me. Smoking joints with Uncle Herbie at Nana’s house for Thanksgiving will forever be a memory of mine and I will continue to transcend that feeling and express it through my artwork in every way that I can.

Your uncle seemed to find empowerment and identity through his cowboy lifestyle. How does this artwork celebrate that sense of pride and authenticity?

You could say the pink alone is a testament to pride and authenticity. I’m a man, depicting a masculine figure from the Western culture, using predominantly the color pink, and somehow I can capture all of that masculinity with such a feminine-toned color. Besides the color pink, being black and immersing yourself in Western culture can empower yourself and others. I've always been a black man in a white-dominated space but that never mattered to me. Even though I would have to work that much harder, and deal with a lot more than my white peers I would never let it define me.

In what ways does this piece challenge common misconceptions or bring new perspectives to traditional Western artistic depictions?

I think Western Art has been commonly misrepresented as ‘Ranch Art’ or the typical American Western Landscape, Western Culture is forever changing and so is the art that depicts it. I’m just a modern artist who is documenting that change over time in my way. 

Should we expect more Western art from Cory Van Lew?

Yes, I will be developing my outlaws more featuring the Bullrun hat. Sculptures featuring the hat and real wearable versions of the hat are in motion. My next collection I am dropping in the summertime will be set in a western desert setting so keep your eyes peeled for that.

"The Dealer: Rhinestone" is coming to auction June 25th at 10AM ET

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