Cowgirls was created from a picture taken when my daughter was young and riding on a mounted drill team. We raised our family in Colorado in the western suburbs of Denver along the foothills. Although we were not living in rural Colorado, there were still undeveloped acres with horses and sheep next to our house. By the time we sold our property most of those acres were gone, but the cowboy culture was still present in the community.
The west has a history of risk takers that was created by those who ventured into the new territory beyond the Mississippi starting with President Jefferson’s aquisition of 828,000 acres in the Louisiana Purchase. An additional million acres were added in 1848 as the result of the Mexican American War expanding the Southwestern United States. In 1869 the railroad made travel across the continent possible for those less adventurous to travel from the east. In 1890 the United States Congress declared that the West had been fully explored and the chapter of Western Expansion was closed.
It would be remiss of me, not to mention the native peoples harmed during Western Expansion. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 established a process for the president to give land west of the Mississippi River to tribes that agreed to give up their homelands. This created a reservation system and its well documented systemic damage to Native American peoples that have ongoing repercussions.
The cowboy is a symbol of the west. Using men mounted on horseback to herd cattle originated in Spain. The trade migrated to the Americas through Mexico and Texas where the conditions required men to move large herds of cattle across dry arid land with sparse vegetation for long periods of time to get enough feed.
The horse was extinct in North America until the arrival of the conquistadors in Mexico. Although the Spanish used horses extensively, they also let some go wild where the equine population exploded on the seemingly endless amount of land. These horses became a resource for other settlers and ranchers to gathered up and tame.
American traders encountered Spanish “Vaqueros” along the Santa Fe Trail and over time their cultures merged to some degree. This new profession of the cowboy met the challenges of maintaining herds in harsh conditions and driving them to market over the open range. Large herds of cattle were initially raised in Texas and gradually expanding Northward to Montana and Canada.
After the civil war there was a growing demand for beef. Cattle drives to major cities like Chicago, were slow moving and often met with hostility from locals who had to deal with damage to property from livestock and the unruley behavior of the cowboys. Overgrazing on the open range led to restrictions and eventually to elimination of cattle drives.
The ranch life that evolved after the demise of the cattle drive created a subculture of low paid men that lasted into the 20th century. Cowyboys were multicultural group of native, spanish, and black single men. Today there are about 1million “ranch hands” in the United States compared to over 3 million in the 19th century. Unlike the cowboy, ranch hands do a variety of tasks. What hasn’t changed is the long hours for modest pay.
The Western Art genre idealizes a romantic notion of an irreverent, free wheeling, and hard working white man in a vast beautiful landscape. It is a subculture in the art world that attracts many collectors. In this niche market there are museums, galleries, publications and events that support the community. Charles Russell, born in 1864; is a founding member artist and icon in this subculture.
Russell was not a formally trained artist. As a young man he was captivated by the “wild west”. He left school at 16 and worked on sheep ranch. After working as a trapper and ranch hand, he lived for a time with Native Americans on the Blackfeet Nation. His career began with a painted postcard his foreman sent to the owner of the ranch he worked on. The little card was shared widely leading to small commissions. Eventually Russell settled in Great Falls Montana where he set up a studio in 1892.
“Charles Russell and His Friends, oil, 1922
Russell emerged as an artist at a time when the growing urban populations were very interested in the wild west. He was an excellent marketer and befriended wealthy collectors including Douglas Fairbanks and the director William Hart. By the time of his death in 1926 he had created more than 4000 works of art. Much of it, including his bronze sculptures, were reproduced and became a source of income for his estate that continues to this day.
When my daughter was sitting her friends on the riding team in the rodeo stands, I probably was at the stock show in Denver. The stock show is a big event in Denver with a parade downtown. When we went to the show I always dragged the kids upstairs to see the “Coors Western Art Exhibit”. Some of the work was done by artists who lived on ranches or farms; but much of the work was done by artists who worked in this niche. These artists were really well trained painters, but their subject matter was glued to a period of time and a style developed more than a hundred years ago by artists like Russell.
Young Cowboy, oil, Quang Ho,
The artist above is highly trained and lives in the Denver area. “Young Cowboy” was in the Coors Exhibit. The painter, Quang Ho was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States in 1975. He has won numerous awards. I have nothing but admiration for his skill and his abilities. Mr. Ho is an honest broker with his audience presenting himself as a successful artist working like Russell, painting to make a living with his talent by serving the community of collectors who admire the romance of the west.
Just like those who collect western art, I have a romantic notion about art that I hold dear. From my perspective , art in its purest form is not about making money by creating for an audience’s taste. It isn’t solely a demonstration of skill. Art is a complex endeavor that separates itself from the expectations of others to create something for a higher purpose, to express a unique vision.
My artwork is a dialogue with myself and the larger community. I am always thinking when I am in my studio about what story I am telling myself and others through my work. The process expands my understanding of my own life and of the world I live in at a moment in time.
“Cowgirls” is an example of that dialogue. It’s about the relationship between women and risk. Girls as too often trained to value safety. Not just physical safety, but to limit risk taking in any form. This has lead to generations of women who didn’t go onto higher education or decided to take a degree in a safe profession like nursing instead of becoming surgeon. Marry to young or marry the provider, instead of selecting someone who will work in partnership.
These three cowgirls rode without helments, didn’t get praise for not going fast enough around a barrel, or fawned over when they fell off the horse. It was a dusk yourself off and get back on and ride culture. That was the conversation I was having as I painted. The spirit of women who take risks and don’t quit when they get thrown is the subject I had in mind. I knew at the time my grown daughter was on a rough ride, but she would survive.
“An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.” – James McNeill Whistler.
Until next time…………………