American illustration, collected in Casper

A national art specialty with a Wyoming address

Taraba Illustration Art is based in Casper, but its subject is much broader: original American illustration art. The business specializes in work by American illustrators, with much of its inventory spanning the mid-nineteenth century through the late twentieth century.

Fred Taraba established the business after years in the illustration-art field in New York. He moved to Casper in 2007 and built an independent operation around buying, selling, researching and sharing original illustration art.

Artwork made to tell a story

Illustration art occupies an interesting space between fine art, publishing and popular culture. These are original images created to communicate a story, character, product, event or idea—and the finished artwork can outlive the publication or campaign that first gave it a job to do.

That makes the field as much about context as appearance. A collector may be drawn to a particular artist, publication era, subject, medium or piece of cultural history. Taraba Illustration Art organizes that search around the original work itself.

Decades of experience behind the inventory

Taraba describes more than four decades of experience dealing with illustration art. The business also handles consignment and offers a substantial online inventory, giving collectors outside Wyoming a direct connection to a specialized art business operating from Casper.

Fred Taraba is also the author of Masters of American Illustration: 41 Illustrators and How They Worked, a book built around the history and working methods of major American illustrators.

Why it belongs on Wyoming Paintbrush

Wyoming creativity is not limited to work depicting mountains, wildlife or the West. Part of the point of Wyoming Paintbrush is showing the range of art knowledge, collecting, making and visual culture that exists here.

Taraba Illustration Art is a good example: a highly specialized American-art business that happens to operate from Casper, adding a different layer to the state’s creative landscape.

• Browse current inventory on the Taraba Illustration Art website.
• Contact the business directly about availability, collecting or consignment.
• This Wyoming Paintbrush spotlight was selected editorially and is not a paid placement.