Friday, November 17, 2006

Grizzled

Grizzled by David R. Darrow 6" x 6" (15.24cm x 15.24cm)
Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD Collection of Rocky and Judith Hafdahl
San Juan Capistrano, CA – USA

About This Painting

This is only my second-ever painting in a Western genre.

I love looking at western art, myself, because it can give me a glimpse into an era or a way of life I could never otherwise know.

When I think about the brave men, women and children that took such enormous chances working their way west to California, or the modern ones who still farm on a daily basis, grueling 14-hour days to keep the family ranch in the family, or scrape together enough of a living to feed the children, I have to give them a nod of appreciation.

When I compare their lives to mine, I have to admire what these cowboys, ranchers and wranglers do. Kinda makes me feel like pushing dabs of paint into the right places on a canvas isn't really work... but it what I do best, and seems it's all I've got.

This tired, grizzled old fella, is just resting a while after a hard day's work, thinking about tomorrow's work that'll start in a just a few short hours, not long after supper.

His "see-gar" isn't allowed in the house, so he jots down mental notes with in the barn, a list of to-dos flowing easily through his mind like the smoke from the cigar in the darkening stillness.

Here's to the tough, hardworking Americans that built this country and keep it alive.


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3 comments:

"van Vliet" Art Blog said...

I like this work David. It is a favorite subject with me too. I read lots of fiction that illustrates with words the heroic deeds of old west mountain men, cowboys, and engineers. Thanks for posting.

Rhonda Hurwitz said...

you can feel the quiet strength of this person. awesome job

... said...

I looked through your work and have to say "you're a genius". It's a good thing you're here.