Wonderful And Winning Western And Cowboy Paintings

Huge fields of green and wilderness dotted with men on horses and cattle running here and there with a couple of dogs looking fierce and active. Yes, we are talking of the Wild West where everything looks brighter and freer than anywhere else in this world. It is almost as if Mother Nature created opportunities for you to bring out the easel and paints and get going. It is not exactly like one more form of art using wood making you paint on it but it is one more way to convene with nature. The thing about the Wild West is that it is picturesque but also very interesting in that it is more than just natural beauty. The terrain there is rough and dotted with things like cactus and some creatures like wild coyotes and other animals.

To capture all the magnificence of the Wild West, you will need to be an expert at capturing all the nuances of the scenery around. It is not like easy pastel paintings for beginners because the colors need to be more intense than that. The brightness of the sky makes it look intensely blue whereas the green of the plants seem even more jewel like and the starkness of rocks even more so. We won’t really blame you if you paint western and cowboy paintings to beautiful and interesting Indian paintings, but we all know that each one is different in its own way.

The cowboy is an important part of life in the Wild West and not in the romantic way they are portrayed in movies. In fact, if anything a real cowboy is nowhere as clean or as polished as the ones shown in the movies. But we can understand the need to dramatize and make things pretty. But the valor and courage that cowboys are supposed to have as shown in the films is in no way exaggerated. If anything, we have to admit that the real cowboy does have something so heroic about him. He lives on the land in the truest sense and more importantly lives for the land.

He rides his horse for hours on end with no concern for how the wind, heat, and dust affect him. He lives out on the wilderness with only his animals, the dog and horse for company. He ensures that his days are spent on rounding up the animals of the ranch and bringing them back to the premises. All this heroism melded with the picturesque nature of the wilderness literally begs you to bring out your paints and brushes. One may argue that it would be easier to click photos and this too could work.

But there is something about capturing what is in front of you from your own point of view. The artist’s eye somehow captures not only what is out there but also captures a different outlook. You would be surprised at how different the same scene can look from different artists’ point of view. While you are at it, the wilderness or the cowboys are not the only things that can be painted. There are the various types of cattle and other animals not to mention the buildings that make up the homestead.

There are contrasts that beg to be painted and scenes that almost look surrealistic. Do not forget the beasts of burden and the rustic machinery that also play an important role in the western way of life and thereby their art.