About the Artist
Jacquelyne Branch is an oil painter and photographer whose work explores the spirit and traditions of the Modern West through oil, watercolor, and lens-based practices. She earned her BFA in Oil Painting from Texas State University in 2019, where she developed a foundation in both technical skill and creative expression. Beyond her studio practice, she has expanded her education through professional roles in the art world, including curatorial work with ArtUS Co, gallery support positions, and as an oil paint supply specialist at Jerry’s Artarama, where she deepened her knowledge of materials and techniques. She’s also participated in artisan markets across the state since 2021.
Her personal history, rooted from deep in the Texas Hill Country as a cowgirl and World Champion Qualifier for the National Barrel Horse Association in 2015 continues to shape her artistic vision, bringing authenticity and lived experience to her depictions of horses and western life. She was also a country swing competitor and dance instructor from 2014-17, and still maintains a deep love for dancehalls and country music, influences that inform her vibrant paintings of movement, neon light, and rhythm.
Alongside painting, she has developed a newfound passion for photography and travel, capturing landscapes, cowgirls, and horses as inspiration for her studio practice. These photographs serve as both source material and independent works, bridging her love for observation and reinterpretation.
Through both her professional and personal experiences, Jacquelyne creates work that bridges Western heritage and contemporary culture, honoring tradition while reflecting the evolving spirit of the West.
Art Statement
I am an oil painter working at the intersection of realism and expression, using light, color, movement, and contrast to tell stories of the Contemporary West. My work is rooted in the places, traditions, and experiences that have shaped my understanding of Western culture, from the Texas Hill Country to the dancehalls, arenas, and open landscapes that continue to define it.
My paintings move between two interconnected bodies of work. In my cowgirl and equine paintings, I use tenebrism, glazing, and dramatic contrast to bring horses and figures into luminous focus against deep black grounds. By stripping away distractions, I create intimate moments that emphasize the strength, resilience, partnership, and quiet vulnerability found within cowgirl life. These works are informed by my own experiences as a cowgirl and barrel racer, allowing me to approach the subject not simply as an observer, but through a lived understanding of the relationships, traditions, and emotions represented.
My dancehall paintings explore another side of the Contemporary West. Neon light, expressive color, blurred gestures, and painterly movement capture the energy of music and dancing, transforming fleeting moments into scenes filled with rhythm and atmosphere. My background as a country swing competitor and dance instructor continues to influence these works, connecting my love of movement and music with my visual practice.
Landscape is also an important part of my work, not simply as a setting but as a storyteller. I am drawn to expansive Western environments and the way changing light can transform a familiar place. Through careful observation, photography, and studies of light and atmosphere, I explore how landscape can carry memory, identity, and a sense of belonging. Whether a cowgirl stands within an expansive landscape or a pair of dancers moves beneath neon lights, the environment becomes an active part of the story.
Together, these subjects allow me to explore the contrasts of the Contemporary West: strength and vulnerability, tradition and change, solitude and community, stillness and movement. My goal is to honor the heritage that shaped me while reflecting the evolving culture of the West as I experience it today. Through oil painting, I seek to preserve fleeting moments of light, movement, and connection while creating work that feels both deeply personal and universally rooted in the enduring spirit of the West.