January 2011 Blog Posts (32)

January 31, 2011

   Back from a long weekend in Corsicana, Texas. Attended the tenth anniversary of the Western Artists of America Art Show in the Pearce Museum at the Navarro Community College. I was the Master of Ceremonies at the awards banquet on Saturday night and we had a grand time. Met a bunch of great artists and enjoyed some very fine artwork.

   Also, learned some Texican slang. A retired policeman from Houston, Tim Vanya, was telling me…

First Woman Hanged In Clay Co. Mo. For Murder

The first person ever hanged in Clay County for murder was a negro

woman, owned by a man named Pryor, residing near Greenville, in the

northeastern part of the county. She murdered, by throwing two (or

three)…

January 26, 2011

   My OK quote has gone viral and is showing up all over the place in Medialand, including the Daily Kos, Atlantic (Online), LA Times, etc.

   Had a Fox 10 news crew in this morning to film me talking about Arizona Wild, as it's becoming known. I'll let you know when it runs. Going to be part of a show, or series on the local affiliate.

   Went home for lunch and finished a little study I call "Rockabilly Cloud…

January 25, 2011

   Had lunch today with a well known director. Talking about a future project together.

   Here's another one of the studies I completed this weekend called Rain Rider:

I love weather, at least the proof against it, as a…

Howdy:

              Now that simple greeting implies many things, even today.   That's part of my question to you

real 'Histiory Buffs'....I toy with History but have not read enough, yet, to be considered that good.

              Here's the question:  If his name was Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in 1540 and he explored Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas and Texas looking for those 'Seven Cities' why…

January 24, 2011

   Went home for lunch and worked on an assignment for the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Started with this study:

Who's The Clown Drummer?

Only one problem: none of the 12 inductees is a…

January 24, 2011

   Nice weekend, although quite windy. I just had new canvases stretched and prepped by Bob Stienhilber. Had five of them stacked in the breezeway, outside my studio door when a strong burst of wind lifted three of them in the air and deposited them fifteen feet away. Big rips in two of them. That hurt. Paid $500 for the stretcher work, now need to have half of it redone.

   It was Thomas Charles' 28th birthday on Sunday and the…

January 22, 2011

  Just got back from the 85th Annual Dude Ranch Association Convention at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. Lots of great comments. We really are respected by Colleen, Russell True and the board, and many ranch owners came up to me and thanked us for putting out such a great magazine that their guests rave about and one guy from Canada said he especially appreciates us paying for the shipping "all the way over the mountain."



   One ranch owner said…

Sad days are here as our old western town in southern Colorado, called Buckskin Joes, is going the way of a private collector.  The old town stood for over 50 years.  The buildings were gathered from all over Colorado and included an original building from west of Alma, Colorado once owned by H.A.W. Tabor's.

Movie credits for the old town include scenes from the original True Grit, Cat Ballou, Conager, The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox, as well as Warren Oat's movie the…

January 19, 2011

   Heading for Tucson this afternoon. Speaking at the Dude Ranch Association's annual confab at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch tomorrow. Kathy's going with me. I heard the Tucson Train Station has canceled their Wyatt Earp shooting Frank Stilwell re-enactment because everyone is still "too raw" from the shooting two weeks ago.

   Worked all morning on upcoming issue, which will feature the two True Grit movies vs the book vs history. Going…

January 18, 2011

   The "True West Girls" Allison Cabral and Sheri Riley created quite a buzz at the WESA convention in Denver last weekend. Pics to follow.

   Meanwhile, here are two more scenes from the next Graphic Cinema sequence, "When mammoth Jacks Attack":

 …

January 17, 2011

   Finished the "When Mammoth Jacks Attack" episode of Mickey Free for the current issue with a couple hours to spare. Issue is being uploaded, via ether net, to our printer in Kansas City even as you read this. Really hanging out on this one, with Cowboy Christmas, yearly budget meetings and all the Billy pardon, media madness (Wall Street Journal, CNN and Horizon and Channel 3).

   Now it's on to future Graphic…

January 17, 2011

   Spent the weekend working on five scenes for the next installment of Graphic Cinema. The theme of which is, "When Mammoth Jacks Attack."

   Here is one of the scenes, of Mickey on his stud mule, surrounded by banditos mounted on agitated horses (they want nothing to do with Mick's mammoth jack).

 …

January 14, 2011

   Worked at home this morning, wrapping up the next Graphic Cinema. Also trying to nail the title of the featured article by Paul Andrew Hutton on the Alamo defenders, their death and what it means. Wanted something snappy and short like Death Stand, or Dead Something. Never got what we wanted. May go with Last Stand as the head with a clarifying sub-head. Hmmmm.

   Finished a Mickey Free scene of him crossing the border near Naco on…

January 13, 2011

   Working hard with my staff to wrap up a big 20-plus-page package on the 175th Anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo. Paul Andrew Hutton, Wade Dillon, John Foreman, David Zucker and Bart Bull are among the writers, reenactors and directors weighing in the many aspects of this amazing historical event.  

Meanwhile, if you missed the Horizon interview last night, here it is:

 …

January 12, 2011

   Went home for lunch and whipped out three studies (I was waiting for the termite guy and he finally showed at about 2:15). Meanwhile, Kathy is hosting bunco tonight (everytime I hear this term I am reminded of Doc Holliday who, I seem to remember, was branded a "bunco steerer" in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1880, which I assume means someone who suckers suckers into playing a crooked game of bunco?).

   Here is one of the studies I…

January 12, 2011

   Great trip to Ajo yesterday. It's a little over two hours south of here. An old copper smelting town, not far from the Mexican border. The mine is long closed and today the old homes are filled with retirees and hippies-artists with names like Lone Wolf. Spoke to a full house the library. Great crowd. Really enjoyed it. Sold a bunch of books and met some great people, including a local judge, now retired, who lives in Russ Shaw Senior's house. Russ…