The Tracker

Medium: Oil, Image Size: 35″h x 46.5″w, 1995.

This artwork is one of the few paintings of historic interpretations of Native Americans that I have done. It portrays a historic Native American looking for sign of game. This oil painting was painted much looser than my watercolor style. This scene was from Black Mountain looking east toward Ball Mt. in north Siskiyou County, California.

At the time I did this painting I didn’t often paint in oils; but, on this occasion I wanted to do a large oil painting, and that is how this piece came about. I wanted to work loosely with big brushes and bold strokes, and the landscape, horse, and clouds were ideal subjects for that.

The Native American depicted represents an Apsaroke. I chose that tribe because their environment appears much like Siskiyou County, and I can relate better to what types of places they saw and lived in. The horse is a typical paint horse that I’m sure would have been the prize of most Native Americans. I wanted to show a proud horse that contrasted uniquely against the stormy clouds. The horse, the person, the clouds, and landscape combined well together.

Original is sold.