Peake Experience
The artist who was also a cowboy
Artist Channing Peake in his studio on the Peake Ranch in Santa Ynez (c.1950).
Written by Lorie Dewhirst Porter
Photographs and artwork courtesy of
Channing Peake Estate/Cherie Peake
Anyone who remembers life in the Santa Ynez Valley during the 1940s and ’50s will have a colorful story about Channing Peake, who was born in 1910 and died in 1989. An exuberant polymath, Peake excelled at being a cowboy (he could ride and rope), breeding horses (his stallion Driftwood is in the American’s Quarter Horse Hall of Fame), drawing and painting (his majestic murals are on permanent display at Santa Barbara’s Airport and in the central branch of the Public Library), and high-level socializing (his circle included Pablo Picasso and Audrey Hepburn). Of his many talents, Peake’s art remains a standout, and stunning examples of his work are currently on view and available for purchase at the Peake Ranch Winery, the site of his former ranch.
Grain Combine (1944), oil and sand on masonite.
“Peake’s artistic style continued to evolve over the years, and his unique depictions of farm implements in the Cubist manner are especially prized by collectors.”
Study for Fiesta Mural (c. 1985), mixed media on board.
“I have done everything I ever wanted to do, and sometimes twice.”
Like that of other highly gifted painters, Peake’s artistic style continued to evolve over the years, and his work gradually became more abstract. His unique depictions of farm implements in the Cubist manner are especially prized by collectors.
