Artist Journal Entry:
The cowboy and western lifestyle is always in an ebb-and-flow state in our society. When new hit television shows or movies come out, it tends to rise again in popularity in pop culture. What most people don’t see is that there is a thriving community that is still hard at work every single day behind barbed wire fences. Men and women caring for the land and the animals that we rely on in this country. Most of us can become easily distracted by a society that has misled us to believe that luxury items, vanity, and fame, are the only examples of success. Where value is determined by the number in one’s bank account. We’re constantly scrambling to make it to the top without realizing that these lifestyles and items are only temporary. You can’t take them with you once you’ve given your bones back to the earth. I captured this photograph out in west Texas just outside the small town of Marfa. I wanted to create an artwork that honors the American cowboy and places them at the forefront of our culture. A way to highlight them and their story. When trends shift and modern-day influence fades, cowboys never die.