There are a few locations in our nation's Southwest that are truly magical, and I never tire of painting them. One is Canyon De Chelly in Northeast Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. This beautiful canyon will take your breath away, and you'll never forget a visit there.

These beautiful Quarter horses are part of the River Breaks Ranch remuda. I've painted there many times and I always enjoy it. One of the best parts of my job is the access I have to good-looking horses thanks to several dear friends.

These two cowboys have just heard a nearby gunshot. Now they're wishing their fire was much smaller. Gunfire in the darkness could mean anything in the Old West. I'm glad they are well armed.

These two cowboys are looking for cattle. Sometimes they're hard to find in Canyon Country, but if you wait long enough you'll see movement eventually. I've been there. This is one of my most popular birthday cards with Leanin' Tree.

This is a somewhat humorous situation, at least for the cowboy not in the cactus. I know how the one in the cactus feels. When I was breaking horses, I was in the canyon one winter morning, and the youngster I was on bucked me off. I landed in the middle of a snow-covered patch of prickly pear. I eventually had to throw my coat away. There was no way to remove all the thorns.

This pony is patiently waiting for his next job. Most good horses love to work as much as their cowboys do. I have to say that of all the horses I've painted over the years, my favorite color of horse to paint is a bay roan like this one.

This cowboy is on the floor of the Palo Duro Canyon, and he is obviously tracking something. I just hope he takes a moment to appreciate the beauty he's riding through.

I enjoy painting mirror reflections, but this one is not really a mirror reflection. If you'll notice, there are only three horses reflected in the water. The background for this painting is one of the most scenic places in America, near Ridgeway, Colorado.

The Comanche painting that appears here can still be found in Palo Duro Canyon. I changed the location a bit to protect it from possible vandalism. It was painted on the rock with red clay and depicts a turkey hunt. The figure on the left is the hunter. The next figure is blessing the hunt and pulling them in, and we can see the three turkeys. In my story-line these cowboys are admiring the talent of this unknown Comanche artist.

I enjoy this type of painting, where the viewer gets to write the back-story. We don't know if this is a posse looking for a hidden outlaw or if this is a group of outlaws searching for a lawman. You decide. This print is in my web-site store under Old West.