As a wildlife and western artist, one of my greatest thrills is attending PRCA rodeos to capture essential reference for my art.  How can anyone watching not get caught up in all the action - especially up close and at dirt-level?  Actually, often at mud-level, as evidenced in this new work produced specifically for the 2019 Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale.  The privilege of witnessing these fast-paced, timed-events is not taken lightly by this observer.  Watching carefully and understanding the nuances of each event, cowboy, cowgirl, clown, pick-up man and animal in order to visually and accurately express those moments is crucial in telling the story behind my work.

 

Attending rodeos for years, I've come to have a few favorite events that I particularly enjoy portraying with my unusual medium and unique style.  Among those events is tie-down roping.  This event derives from the duties of actual working cowboys requiring catching and restraining calves for branding or medical treatment.  In modern times the rider must lasso the calf from horseback by throwing a loop of the lariat around the calf's neck. Once accomplished, the roper signals the horse to stop quickly while he dismounts and runs to the calf, taking it down and tying three legs.  Timing and precision is required, as in all events.

 

Above and beyond sharing the fine technical skills required of the cowboy and horse, I work to find the most compelling way to translate and share that story in my art.

 

As always, I begin mapping out the image with composition at the top of my mind.  Then I block-in the entire image, lightly and rather "loosely."

The burn is essentially finished, paints are mixed and I'm ready to add color!

First I added the mud splashes and then the shirt and jeans.

The final stage is about fine-tuning anatomy and adjusting values throughout.  In the end, I have a piece that accurately depicts the scene I observed and tells the story in my unique way.  And, yes, I did have a great time splashing paint around for the mud effect!

"Full Throttle"   21" x 16" pyrography and acrylic on paper

© JulieBender.com