Cowboy art, like cowboy poetry, is not the sole province of the working cowboy. Some of the best "dime novels" were written by Easterners, and we now have
much excellent work created by artists who, although have not experienced the cowboy life in actuality, have the soul of the cowboy and the west.
This is easy to understand, especially by those of us who, in their youth, had the good fortune to experience the glowing years
of cowboy movies, books, comics, Wild West shows, and all that "good stuff" that enabled everyone to enjoy and develop a fondness
for the American West.
Today, unfortunately, the American West "ain't quite like it used to be". for good or bad, but the spirit of the
American cowboy, be it myth or fact, still remains, if not totally on the surface, then deep in the soul. Today, although we don't have the Saturday afternoon cowboy movie serials, we do have one or two television
channels dedicated to Western movies. But we have the growth of rodeo, which, in one way or another, helps us hang on to the
interest and love for things cowboy and western. And we have the cowboy/western artists and photographers whose work plays
a major role in maintaining that interest.
Which brings up the topic of the Black cowboy in art. cowboyartshow.com has received some requests for information about artists who have drawn or painted works depicting the African-American cowboy. In the
five + years cowboyartshow.com has been online, I cannot recall seeing any work with that content. It's not like there weren't any Black cowboys in the early history of the West or at the present time, but it's interesting that
there doesn't seem to be any readily available art depicting their role in the West's past or present. If any reader has information about artists who have worked with this subject, we would appreciate
hearing from you
Joe Chernicoff, CAPA Exec. Director
Cowboy Poetry
Since posting some cowboy poetry a few issue ago, we have been receiving more of this work, so
I reckon we'll post another poem or two for your interest.
The first one, sent by "a country gal with lots of boys who have done their share of ranch work & rodeo. She doesn't ride but shares our sense of western adventure" - a poem by Barney Nelson, was forwarded to us by CAPA member Gail Guenther, whose poetry was the first to appear in publication.
GETTIN' ON
by Barney Nelson
You cowboys can tell your bronic ride tales,
But me, my stories ain't so wild,
I hafta find an old tree stump,
And it seems like when I hit a gate
Some women claim that cowboys
But I've never had to beg or plead,
I Give It My All
12/28/2001
There's no feeling like a 90-point ride ~
Been bucked off, stomped on, and drug through the dirt
Some say I'm crazy for riding those bulls ~
The challenge I face whenever I ride
Each morning I'm eager to start a new day.
Come next year on the first rodeo date,
Rodeo Schedules and Other Events of Interest
For rodeo schedules and information - including barrel racing schedules, visit:
You are invited to send in your local rodeo schedules for inclusion here -
if you are a rodeo contetant, we'll be happy to publish photos of you in your event, depending upon the quality of
the image.
Of fannin' hats and glory,
Of how they spin, sunfish and dive;
It's all there in your story.
I'm just a girl, of course,
And the worst trouble that I seem to have
Is just gettin' on my horse.
Or a water trough will do,
Creek bank, board fence, salt block,
Walk a mile before I'm through.
And no high spot within sight,
It's three-strand wire with flimsy posts
And my pants are awful tight.
Don't want them on the crew,
And I guess for boring ladies,
That sure might be true.
To get to go along,
'Cause their favorite mornin' pastime
Is watching me get on.
The next poem is by rodeo photographer Jody Gomes
I've been riding like this since I was eight.
Praying for the whistle before I fall
I bear down and give it my all.
Dropping and spinning, I'm spurring his side.
The whistle blows ~ the crowd goes crazy
The bullfighters scramble and fight to save me.
Beat up, broken and many times hurt.
But I'm in the chute when my number is called
Ready to ride ~ to give it my all.
Risking my life when I should be in school.
But I chase a dream that few understand.
Oh the memories I'll have when I'm an old man.
Isn't the bull, instead it's my mind.
I'll cover the bull I get in the draw
If I stay focused and give it my all.
I'm chasing my dreams the cowboy way.
The season is over and I'm headed back home ~
I've won, I've lost; I've triumphed and grown.
My rope is set and I nod for the gate.
God has so blessed me ~ I'm having a ball.
The gate swings open and I give it my all. >p>
Other Rodeo - Bull Riding Schedules
Western art still selling for high prices
Collecting Western and cowboy art for future increases in value may not be the practical reason you should buy, but if you have the patience to wait for the artist to be "collector recognized", it may not be a bad idea to do so. Take, for instance, Charlie Russell's work - and here's another example of the prices his work brings at auction: (photo from ArtTalk, October 2003)
What do you call a Australian cowboy? Brush up on your Australian
Submitted by Dorothy Gauvin
In Australia a cowboy is called a stockman. (Only in those Country&Western songs
hopefully pointed at the international music market is he ever called a cowboy.)
A young fellow who works on a cattle station or run (ranch) while waiting for a
job in some other field is called a jackaroo. He receives the same pay as the
regular stockmen but eats with the owner's family. My own Dad was one of these
in his youth. Nowadays, a young woman who takes this on is called a jillaroo.
A top hand is a ringer. One who helps drive the cattle to market is called a
drover (now nearly obsolete in these days of cattle trucks and road trains.)
My mother's father, at age fourteen, drove a mob of cattle from Winton in western
Queensland to a family property in New South Wales, a distance of 1,200 miles as
the crow flies. He had only the help of his horses and wonderful dogs; and for
the times, this was not a unique feat. He later became a boss drover with his
own plant (remuda) of horses.
The gathering of stock is called a muster. Half-wild cattle rounded up from the
bush are called scrubbers.
Interesting, isn't it, how two nations with their origins in Britain have
modified the language in our own different ways.
Rick Meoli will be
featured in Cowboys & Indians Magazine in the magazine's "Visions Of The West"
section of the January issue.
Sharon Hunt's "Those Daring Darlings" has been chosen to be the signature piece for
the Strathearn Foundation Nancy Reagan Breast Cancer Center Fund Raiser to be
held Oct 18th at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. "This is particularly exciting
for us as we lost a daughter to breast cancer 7 years ago", says Sharon.
Mark & Kimberlee Holt Tully- Cowboy Artists and Photographers of America's official cowboy blue grass
group, announces their current schedule and CDs
December 6, 2002 Art Show
cowboyartshow.com and Cowby Artists and Photographers of America will co-sponsor
cowboy art show at the request of the RoadRunner Saloon - a cowboy themed restaurant in Las Vegas,
during the NFR days in the city. The show, which may be in conjunction with a tentatively free wine tasting event at the restaurant, may also be open on December 7. So if you're in Las Vegas
for the first few days of the NFR, be sure to get over to the RoadRunner, I-215 and Eastern, just a short
distance from the Las Vegas Strip. More information to be posted on this, and sent to our subscribers.
Current and Future Events of Interest
The following artists and organizations are active in supporting and promoting cowboy and western art and photography. CA&R appreciates their efforts at keeping this art form in front of the public eye:
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