SW 1800’s

Size (h w d): 36 x 48 x 1.5 in

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Description: I have spent a good portion of my life traveling around and visiting many towns and national monuments throughout the Southwest. From Mesa Verde to Nogales, from Tombstone to Zion, I have always felt a kinship with the great openness of the deserts of the Southwest. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a favorite. And of course the ultimate movie set for all the great Ford/John Wayne Westerns…Monument Valley. I would be cheating the Navajo Nations if I didn’t mention Window Rock, AZ and the Southwest’s definitive radio station KTNN 660 AM – Window Rock. A true story…I actually saw a girl in a flatbed Ford in Winslow, AZ. But unfortunately she did not slow down and take a look at me.

So why this painting is named SW 1800’s ? I have watched much of the quaintness of the Southwest disappear. One can only imagine how it looked through the 1800’s with real cowboys on horseback. The painting also gives homage to the Native Americans who thrived in these territories.

There is also a sentimental reason I have for the great Southwest. I courted my wife through much of the territory, traveling in our van and/or Jeep with our Levi’s, black t-shirts, bandanas and very fashionable chrome mirrored sunglasses. When we head over to Arizona these days or Santa Fe, New Mexico it’s like a refresher course in true love. Precious memories with my muse, wife and spiritual lover.