Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 35.75″h x 23.75″w, 1994.

I was commissioned by my brother-in-law to do a painting of one of the brandings at his ranch. This was the painting I did for him. My brother-in-law was one of the few remaining ranchers who still did brandings the old-fashioned way where cowboys rope the calves, pin them down, and brand them. Today most brandings are done by using cattle shoots that confine the calves, and there is very little roping skill required to brand the calves. This was the first branding I ever attended, and I was amazed at how much skill was required of the cowboys to rope those calves, so I felt privileged to have witnessed the skills of those cowboys.

Original is sold.