The Marlboro Man is more than a Madison Avenue fantasy. It takes a certain personality to gravitate past the Mississippi River and settle in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains. Dreamers, adventurers, and bohemians all seem to find their places in the wide-open spaces of the American West.

A perfect example of the gutsy Western persona is John Farnsworth, who knew what he wanted and didn't quit until he got it. Back in high school, he taught himself to paint from the few books available at his small-town library. In his 20's, wanting to learn more about Native American art, he worked in a trading post on the Navajo reservation in the Four Corners area. Then, in Sedona, Arizona, he teamed up with landscape painter Earl Carpenter; the pair camped and painted all over Indian country. When he was down to his last $14, Farnsworth called a man he knew and convinced him to stake him $650, offering five of his paintings and a bear claw as collateral. When the loan came due, all five paintings sold. A year later, Farnsworth was running his own gallery.

Farnsworth's rugged individualism hasn't paled over the years. He's worked in oils, pastels, and watercolors. He's painted Indians, landscapes, portraits, and still-lifes. His close-up canvases of horses and cows have made him famous, but just when you think you've got him pegged, he's mimicking the style of the Old Masters or making paintings of Mexico. It seems perfectly logical, then, that in his new paintings he should pay homage to Georgia O'Keeffe. Like that quintessentially Western woman, Farnsworth reinvents himself with fervent regularity.

Farnsworth Gallery Taos. John Farnsworth: Under the Influence. June 9-30. Reception June 9, 6-8. Daily 9-5. 110 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos. 505-982-4561. www.johnfarnsworth.com --Dottie Indyke

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