Tell me... Does this picture not just do something to your heart?
I had never seen nor heard of Tim Cox until this week, but his paintings blow me away. Maybe those of you in the US know him well. His website is here.
The link originally came to me from CA. I reckon himself and DR need to head West next time they cross the Pond. I can see it now:
Crofting Boys take on Wild West.
They wouldn't know what hit them.
(I'll leave it to yourself to decide who the 'they' are!)
This one is called As Good as it Gets
...this one, Heart and Home.
And have a look at this one, called If Looks Could Kill
Could anyone tell me what's happening here?
These paintings are seen through my eyes, but they touch my heart. I'm not a horse owner, never have been, but these paintings touch a chord somewhere inside of me. There is something so beautiful in the sight of a horse and his owner. I think it's true of the sight of any man with an animal he cares for.
Something very, very special.
For some reason, these pictures remind me of the Little Britches books by Ralph Moody. If you want a great look at 1900s western America, you ought to pick those up. They're fantastic (and they might make you cry, especially the ending of the first one).
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong because I can't get that picture closer to really see, in that last picture, I think the cowboy is teaching that horse to stand ground tied. That is why he has that one foot tied up so the horse can't move.
ReplyDeleteWhen a cowboy is roping calves, that horse has to stay right where those reins dropped. In the case of an attacking bull or angry Momma cow who calf is getting branded or something. The cowboy's life depends on it. Just me here but I think the cowboy might have been working and his horse walked off on his own. That horse is in trouble.
The light in the painting is very pretty. Very warm and inviting.
My SIL her Dad was a cowboy all of his life. He wore out two saddles.
I always thought the best job in the world would be instead of getting in a car every day it would be nice to get on a horse.
Lovely Paintings, No, I never heard of that artist either.
Thanks, Kessie....sounds good (as for the 'they might make you cry'...er, if they *might* make others, they are *bound* to make me!)
ReplyDeleteKim, it certainly looks like it's some kind of training exercise. I love your explanation. What a privileged job a cowboy has... I really think it is.
I raised the picture up so I could see it better. You are right- something special is happening in it. Mr.Cowboy dropped his reins, as cowboys are supposed to be able to do. Mr. Horse may have been scratching or something and kicked the roping rope that was affixed to the saddle, resulting in his foot getting caught. Mr Cowboy returned and said "What have you done?" It's one of those moments when you realise that being away from your horse gave him too much free time. I'm not a cowboy, but I have boots, have ridden since I was three, and have loads of experience being around bratty horses.
ReplyDeleteOther than that- Kim might be right. I'm not sure why he'd tie him like that though. If he wanted to teach him to respect the dropped rein and not run away, he might have just hobbled him, which involves two legs, not one. See? Clear as mud!
I think the painting skill of the artist is wonderful!
I knew it had something to do with training a horse to saddle and kicking.....but I couldn't remember the details. I looked it up and I was right. It's both. You tie up the 'green' (untrained or 'unbroken') horse's back foot so they can't kick or buck. Then you can mount them without fireworks (hopefully).
ReplyDeleteHere's a link: http://www.keithhunt.com/Story20.html
The last photo is of a cowboy breaking a horse. You use a certain type of knot that doesn't tighten, I don't remember the name, but I can tie it in my sleep, to keep the horse you are breaking from kicking or bucking when you first saddle them. It keeps the horse from blowing up (usually) and keeps the horsebreaker safe from a swift kick. The paintings are beautiful.
ReplyDelete