Daily Drawing Diary

A Different Kind Of Horse

For The State of Texas exhibition at Mesquite Art Center features 7 new paintings based on drawings undertaken in Texas. This painting is turning out to be quite powerful and slightly melancholic.

Nothing evokes the spirit of Texas like the Cowboy. Riding across the open plain, master of his own destiny, driving cattle or showing off his skills at the rodeo, the cowboy is an icon.
But does this cowboy really still exist ?

In a hyperreal world often the icon becomes more real than the original.

The cowboy hat and boots are as much chosen attire for fashionistas as they are for cattle ranchers. Many want to associate themselves with the cowboy ideal  and it certainly makes a lot of money, selling us products, movies and experiences. But has the ‘selling’ of the cowboy become more common than the ‘real deal’ himself ?

The old cowboy riding a wheelchair rather than a horse is a striking image. Poignant and melancholic with the gold leafed ‘Dollar’ sign on high, the question arises ‘where did all the real cowboys go ?’ - Aimie Littler 2007