Capturing the American West, the land and the impressions left by man, fuels every painting. Everything is temporary, yet on different timelines. With every scene, with every subject, the moments are fleeting and the mysterious qualities I infuse in my work amplifies the temporary time we witness.

I am an expressive painter where the stretching of values and colors are as vital to the process as the disappearing edges of the subjects depicted. The paintings are intended to invite contemplation about a place I love, the American West. 

 

Through decades of dramatic change one staple of the American West, the working ranches and those in the saddle, has remained constant. Ranch life has endured physically and in spirit for two centuries, always with good intention, yet evolving with environmental challenges. The west is a way of life that offers reinvention, possibilities, and hope.

Dawn Wrangler - 36” x 60”

Cowboy Hat 1 - 12” x  12”

Cowboy Hat 1 - 12” x 12”

Cowboy Hat 3 - 12” x  12”

Cowboy Hat 3 - 12” x 12”

Cowboy Hat 4 - 12” x  12”

Cowboy Hat 4 - 12” x 12”

Cowgirl In Pink - 12” x  12”

Cowgirl In Pink - 12” x 12”

Cowboy Hat 2 - 12” x  12”

Cowboy Hat 2 - 12” x 12”

Cowboy In Yellow - 12” x  12”

Cowboy In Yellow - 12” x 12”

Through The Grasses - 24” x 30”

Nick - 28” x  28”

Nick - 28” x 28”

The Forgotten Cowboy - 32” x  48”

The Forgotten Cowboy - 32” x 48”

The Quiet Cowboy - 24” x  36”

The Quiet Cowboy - 24” x 36”

Gracie - 24” x  24”

Gracie - 24” x 24”

Return Of The Sun - 24” x  36”

Return Of The Sun - 24” x 36”

Meeker Ranch - 32” x  48”

Meeker Ranch - 32” x 48”

The Roper - 24” x  36”

The Roper - 24” x 36”

Three Cowboys From Chico - 30” x  20”

Three Cowboys From Chico - 30” x 20”

Unknown Cowboy In Blue - 24” x  36”

Unknown Cowboy In Blue - 24” x 36”

Vaquero - 22” x  30”

Vaquero - 22” x 30”

Where Do We Go From Here - 36” x  36”

Where Do We Go From Here - 36” x 36”

Ruby and Mary Anne - 36” x 36”

Ruby and the Arroyo - 36” x 36”

The human debt to trees is absolute. In short, without trees our species would not have come into being. Strong, graceful, and majestic, they never disappoint. Trees are the Earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heavens.

If we take care of trees, they will take care of us.

Above It All - 40” x 84”

Colorado Blue Spruce - 48” x 72”

Beyond The Ridge - 28” x  28”

Beyond The Ridge - 28” x 28”

Leaning Tree 32” x  48”

Leaning Tree 32” x 48”

The Bending Bristlecone 20” x  20”

The Bending Bristlecone 20” x 20”

Family Of Pines 48” x  60”

Family Of Pines 48” x 60”

Reaching 20” x  20”

Reaching 20” x 20”

The Crown 20” x  20”

The Crown 20” x 20”

Ancient Arms - 24” x 36”

Twisted - 32” x 48”

Twisted - 32” x 48”

The west is at a crossroads, again, perhaps always. While some of nature has narrowly escaped the pressures of growth, other areas have been adversely affected. Souvenir buildings remind us of the boom-and-bust towns central to the desires to move west for a better life. The skeletal remains of drive-in signs, faded ranches, and mining efforts are scattered throughout the west.

Buildings say a lot about who we are and where we are headed.

 
Ophir - 22” x  22”

Ophir - 22” x 22”

Windmill And Water - 12” x  18”

Windmill And Water - 12” x 18”

Park County Ranch - 24” x  36”

Park County Ranch - 24” x 36”

Frontier Drive-In - 28” x  28”

Frontier Drive-In - 28” x 28”

 

These cerebral birds have a lot more in common with us than we ever imagined. They’re smart, crafty, and inquisitive. They can adapt to a variety of habitats. Few birds stir up as much emotion as the crow.

 
BLACK + BLUE - 16” x  16”

BLACK + BLUE - 16” x 16”

 
CROWS IN A CHANGING WORLD - 30” x  60”

CROWS IN A CHANGING WORLD - 30” x 60”

Drawings are the seeds of inventions. These experiments feed the process and the eventual paintings. Careful renderings are met with expressive gestures, giving it depth and mystery. It is a balance of opposites, subjective and objective.

 
Cowboy Hat - 8” x  11”  [charcoal]

Cowboy Hat - 8” x 11” [charcoal]

Cowgirl In The Sun - 8” x  11”  [charcoal]

Cowgirl In The Sun - 8” x 11” [charcoal]

Crow - 8” x  11”  [charcoal]

Crow - 8” x 11” [charcoal]

Cowboy In Pursuit - 8” x  11”  [charcoal]

Cowboy In Pursuit - 8” x 11” [charcoal]

Cowgirl - 8” x  11”  [charcoal]

Cowgirl - 8” x 11” [charcoal]

The Returning Sun - 8” x  11”  [charcoal]

The Returning Sun - 8” x 11” [charcoal]

Park County Ranch - 8” x  11”  [charcoal]

Park County Ranch - 8” x 11” [charcoal]

The Roper- 8” x  11”  [charcoal]

The Roper- 8” x 11” [charcoal]

 

Please visit and follow my Instagram @terrygardnerpaintings