Sustained Investigation #12

Sustained Investigation #12: “Old West"

Graphite and Acrylic on Paper

5.5” x 7”

The "vaquero culture" is cross-national, starting in Latin America from Spanish influence and then traveling North to make its imprint in the U.S. West. The Old West has died out with the great development of urban America, however in some hidden parts of the country, this culture holds its strong roots and still flourishes. Cowboys are a part of the past, but still what we think of when we think "America". For this piece I used Acrylic, Graphites, and Paper. I wanted to try working smaller- as a challenge and as a way to capture the diminishing Western culture. I started with my graphite portrait and wanted to add some colour to the piece. All I had available were black and red but I used them to make the foreground pop and the colour red has some pretty important significance in the vaquero culture that I was able to incorporate into my piece.