Originals

“A Resting Place”. Not a bad place for a break when you are out in wide-open spaces and no trees close by. I’ve wanted to draw this outhouse for a few years and finally it reached fruition. This humble dwelling is located on the local historic Beckwith Ranch. This quaint building always takes me down memory lane when I visit. It reminds me of our own outhouse when I was a kid. When as a young innocent lad, (or not) I would try to scare the girls on their way to the privy! Times have changed.

The minimal amount of light in this piece I felt so keenly with my own life at that time. For days I would go into the studio in attempt to work on its progress but lacked the strength, only to collapse in defeat.  The cowboy’s posture is stooped and spoke to me of my own debilitation. The dim light beam faintly shining down on the cowboy and his horse, matched my own dim ray of hope in life. The expression of the horse is the soul of this work. Among all the darkness and exhaustion the horse’s body is erect and full of life. He seemed to be bubbling with energy. His body wraps around the weary cowboy almost as if embracing him. The eye of the horse the most important of all, exemplifies the incredible amount of strength I pulled from to get through those tough times.

After a long day, this cowboy takes a moment to appreciate the scene unfolding before him as shadows of glory move across the valley. This piece I’ve held in my mind and heart for over four years before my pencil ever touched the paper. This is the pasture in front of my bunkhouse with the view I see most every day. The sharp pyramid is one of the local focal points “Horn Peak” in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. After a lot of contemplation and waiting patiently for it all to happen, I found the perfect group of horses to fit my vision, to work with my “Closest Cowboy.”

The darkness in the clouds reflect the storms of life I’d just lived through. The rays of light coming through the clouds represent hope. The horse and dog are “Best Friends” and show the relationship that animals share on the farm, and metaphorically the friendship I felt from my caring friends during my illness. The rocky foreground signifies the rocky trail I traveled. To the right we get a glimpse of wide open–spaces that spoke to me that the future was endless, full of opportunity and hope. I felt like the horse and dog, they just emerged from the shadows of the barn and wait for the master, looking toward the future, basking in the light of hope.

Compassion in the Chicken Coop, comes from a childhood memory that I fondly hold in my heart. It represents my only sister with which I played in our chicken house when we were probably 4 and 7 years old. We would tuck their heads under their wings to rock the chickens to sleep, perch them on their roost and they would not even fall off. I have wanted to do a work such as this for many years in dedication to my sister. This piece was a pure joy to create. 

The perspective, space, the land, the light and this lone cottonwood here in the valley, made this rural county road a must to capture in pencil. We are all on a journey towards the future. In life we do not see where our path may lead but we trust in due time to reach those glorious mountain tops.

Solitary trees such as this cotton wood, always inspire and speak to me of timeless, ancient meaning. They have weathered through the storms of life as years come and go, from one generation to the next. They speak of strength, & endurance, in a world that is ever changing.

This piece was conceived two years ago when I was on a pack trip in the back country in western Colorado. We set up camp and two days later it dumped 15 inches of snow on us. We were camped here for two weeks. This humble little wall tent became my mountain home and a sweet welcome sight each evening. Traversing this country on foot in snow is not for the faint of heart. Clattering into camp exhausted at 11:00 one night with blisters on my feet I found some leftover fried… now dried, & dirty, potatoes left on the stove. I devoured them in two minutes and I still say to this day they were the best taters I ever had. Life in the wilderness is fragile and amazing. Mother Nature, & Creation, will teach you good life lessons. This work is all about solitude. Where we get acquainted with our own selves.

-Andy Mast

I met this young ram this summer in the Hardscrapple, area and simply could not resist to draw his expressive, goat eyes full of curiosity, and dominating, energy. The contrast of textures from his cute, soft, nose, to his battle scared face, clash with his hard curled horns, creating a regal elegance, that could not be ignored.  -Andy Mast

Peace in Solitude features a local “Father Figure” of mine. His experience as a wrangler, guide and pastor, made him a natural model for me to express the pure peace, and the quiet solitude that I experience in the valley! The back drop in this work is the view that I see every day from my bunkhouse window. Countless times I’ve stood at this very spot with my horse at the end of a long day and watched the sun sink in the west. Indeed, Peace in Solitude at its best.