Blue and Beau. (SOLD) Painting

These two horses belonged to my brother. When we were very young, there was a framed print of a group of pioneers leading a wagon train through what looked like Monument Valley. It was led by a cowboy in a blue calvary bib type shirt and white hat. It hung behind the couch and we would stand on the sofa at stare at this spectacular vista of the Southwest. Growing up in the city on the East Coast, we never believed that these places really existed. From what I remember, the print was given to my father in lieu of money he was owed. My brother really took the scene to heart and when he had the opportunity, he bought a horse when he was 17. Unbeknownst to the seller, the horse was pregnant and soon he had two horses. It wasn't easy trying to find a horse barn in Jersey City. Eventually, he moved to the Southwest and bought a ranch where the two horses, Beau and Blue were part of his stable. He's had lots of horses over the years, but I happen to photograph these two playing around. Here is the interesting part. He looked at this old C.M. Russell print and was captivated by the freedom it represented. He took the scene into his heart and did whatever he could to make the dream come alive. On the other hand, I stared at the same print at the same time and tried to figure out how the artist painted these little people and their horses, and fire, and mountains. It moved me in a different way.