Originally featured in Points West in Summer 2008
Bruce Graham’s Saddlestring Cavvy
Artist Bruce Graham is intrigued by color and light and strives to capture these elements in his paintings. “Most of my paintings are set in the morning or evening when the sun is low on the horizon,” Graham said of his work. “It’s that time of day when even a seasoned cowboy will stop for a second to appreciate the amazing glow of sunlight on a horse’s back.”
Sunlight, not horses, is the subject of Saddlestring Cavvy. The sunlight reflected on the backs and necks of the horses draws the viewer into the picture, leading the eye with a zigzag pattern into the distance.
Graham was born in New York City and grew up on the East Coast. However, he returned to his roots in the West and lived and worked for a time in Buffalo, Wyoming. His grandfather owned Two Dot Ranch near Cody, which is where Graham was exposed to cowboys and western art from an early age. He uses his cowboy friends and neighbors as models, and his own horses appear in many of his paintings. Now living in Utah where his studio looks out on mountains of the Wasatch range, Graham’s subject matter has broadened to reflect the unique and beautiful landscapes of Utah.
This painting was added to the Whitney Western Art Museum’s collection in 2007 when it received the William E. Weiss Purchase Award at the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale. This acquisition fund, established in the mid-1970s, has helped the Whitney add more than 40 pieces of contemporary western American art to its collection. It was named in honor of a great patron of western art, William E. Weiss, who died in 1985.
Bruce Graham (b. 1961). Saddlestring Cavvy, 2007. Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches. William E. Weiss Purchase Award—2007 Buffalo Bill Art Show. 11.07
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