Featured in this lot is an Original Signed Craig Sheppard, "Rimrock Shade", a watercolor on paper in a rustic wood frame, signed on bottom right corner, 1975. Provenance: the Owen D. Mort, Jr. Collection. Owen David Mort was an American engineer who amassed an impressive collection throughout his worldwide travels. His collection has included art, artifacts and other historical items from which he has donated to museums at the University of Utah and Snite Museum of Art, the University of Notre Dame. Sheppard (1913-1978) is known primarily for his Western theme oil and watercolor paintings, though his range of graphic expression is diverse, and his work was acclaimed in numerous national and international exhibitions. He joined the Art Department at the University of Nevada in 1947, serving as the department chair before retiring in 1973. Sheppard's works are on display at the John & Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno. Sheppard learned to rope and to ride from his father. As a young man, he was a cowboy and rodeo rider, even riding bulls, and the cowboy mystique was to stick to him for the rest of his life. The Nevada desert was a challenge as well to this painter familiar with the brighter colors of the landscape of the Southwest. Free time away from the university found him exploring the Nevada desert landscape, learning to appreciate and paint its subtle colors, strong contrasts of light and dark, and most of all, its immensity of space. Watercolor is the medium for which he is most noted and in which he worked exclusively toward the end of his life. A transparent medium, difficult if not impossible to rework or correct, it seemed to suit his temperament. Featuring a recurring theme found in his paintings, two cowboys stand prominently alongside their horses in the shade of a rimrock wall, below the desert valley floor bathed in sunshine. Rich contrasts of light and dark define the scene. A striking painting, very indicative of Sheppard's renown artistic style. The double matted rustic wood frame is impressive. Visible art measures 20.75"L x 14.25"W; The frame is 30.75"L 24.75"W x 1.5"D.*