Western Roots

For the past several weeks I've been painting from references sent to me by Abbey Vogel. Abbey is married to my nephew Adrian, who is a working rancher: a cowboy. They are great references and have been a lot of fun to paint from. They also bring back a lot of memories of growing up in Dodge City, Ks, the self-styled "Cowboy Capital of the World."
Western Art is a very popular genre here in the west. It just feels at home here where the equine population rivals that of humans, and hats a boots are the daily uniform of many. 

So it's not at all odd that our neighbor city of Temecula is sponsoring a Western and Wildlife Show next month.  This show has been the impetus, or excuse, for my spate of western paintings.

Here are the four I plan to enter:



I call this one "Cowhand Conversation" A cowboy's horse and dog may not be witty, but at least they always agree with him.

This one is "Over Easy".  It shows the power and grace of a horse and rider in perfect sync.

"Moving Day" is an important day in ranchers' lives

Is there  ANYTHING cuter than a little boy in a big cowboy hat?  Rings my bell!  Especially when the little boy is as cute as Paxton, Abbey and Adrian's first born.  "Pax in the Hat" is the title of this one.

Big Sky Country

Montana may claim to be the official Big Sky Country, but in reality, all of the west deserves this title. Even in western Kansas, where I was born and raised, the sky is the dominant feature of the landscape. And it is ever changing and often dramatic: a huge expanse of blue will give way to enormous thunder clouds or to a magnificent sunset.

When we were "in exile" from the West in Carolina, while I loved the towering trees, I often found myself wanting to push them aside so that I could see the far off horizon and more of the sky. I sorely missed that.

Now when I set out to paint a landscape, I often find the sky the most compelling feature of the composition. That was certainly true of this painting. I'm not sure what to call it. Any ideas??