Chessney Sevier Fine Art

Sharing photos from the “Roping on the Grass” Bighorn, Wyoming Equestrian Center Sept, 14th, 2008

The music from the band pours out on the street. Straw hats glow in the yellow light of the street lights and shade the faces of those deep in conversation about this summer’s fires and lack of rain. Even though everyone has bought their own beer they still venture into the Lost Springs Bar for a mixed drink. Inside the swamp cooler and jukebox drown out the music across the street. The old timers sit and visit at a table in the corner.

Every summer in July the Converse County Cowbells have the Cowbells party in Lost Springs, WY. This handful of rancher wives, daughters and friends put on a dinner and dance to raise money for beef promotion in their county. This year the big money draw was the chicken roping.

I have a place in my heart for such gatherings. I guess I have an adoration for plain white buildings with the simple word, “Bar” on the roof too because I’ve done two paintings of the Lost Springs Bar.

An older daytime painting no longer available

Here’s a few examples of paintings I’ve done this summer using my favorite palette colors of Cadmium Orange and Transparent Red Oxide!

Me and my daughter Jymie at our home this June

We hope our kids grow up to be who they want to be. No matter what they choose to do they have our love and support as long as it’s legal and doesn’t harm people. BUT, there’s a part of me that hopes my daughter grows up loving horses like I do. I’ve often asked myself why it matters and I suppose it’s selfish mostly. Of course I hope we have something in common and a life with horses is something I can share with her. I know she’s going to learn discipline, responsibility, persistence and goal setting with any sport or activity. Anything she loves to do will encourage her to get off the couch and out into the world. It’s about her life and her future and not mine. BUT, still, there’s just something about horses, cattle and being outside that uplifts one’s spirit and that’s something any parent would wish for their child.

Bart, my husband and Jymie’s dad
when he was a kid.

Bart’s sister Angel Davis and her husband
Greg with their kids at Circle C Days this spring.

Happy Trails From Jymie, her mom and her
big fat bay horse, Mercedes!

A storm had just passed over and another was on the way. Sleet and snow mostly. Patterns of sunlight and dark clouds, sage and mud, and green and gray inspired this painting, “Passing Over Badwater”.

The one day the wind didn’t blow like a hurricane I set up my easel outdoors and completed my first painting on location for the year. A busy toddler and horses that need to be ridden on nice days limit my outdoor painting time but now that there is some green grass I’m making it a priority. This painting was an experiment because for the first time I painted on a a white canvas (usually paint on board with an orange underpainting) with only the primary colors of Cad. Yellow Lemon, Permanent Red Bright and Ultramarine Blue. The painting was composed from a landscape on our property. The color intensity seems a little subtle but I believe it’s pretty accurate considering it’s still a little gray from the cold winter we’ve had. I believe painting outdoors has ruined me from wanting to paint in my studio.

From an email my sister-in-law sent me:
Gage was “saddled-up” on Thunder the other night and Brody was riding his horse, Smooch… got some fun pictures for the time of evening it was! Gage was determined that Thunder’s “legs” could carry him anywhere Brody went… and they did all over our steep hills here just west of the house!! Tougher than his mom for sure!! (Claysen rode Freddie that evening too, but was already dismounted & back at the barn… darn it!)

Be sure to click on the images to get a bigger image.

Many things can leave impressions on our lives. People, events and even places can forever haunt us in a bad or good way. As an artist, I’ve been most impacted by places I’ve been. My own home in Wyoming brings me great comfort and joy. Being in love with a place must have something to do with what we value, what’s familiar or what we identify ourselves with but I think it might go deeper than that. Could it be plain dirt, sagebrush and rocks are part of my origin? Could my ancestors who lived here on both sides of my mom’s family be part of the power of attraction I feel? This might be all “Crazy Artist” stuff but I’m sure everyone has had a similar feeling of Power of Place.

My Uncle’s ranch outside Lost Cabin, Wyoming has been a place I’ve always been drawn to and inspired to express in my artwork. I have a painting I would like to share with you from his place.

The piece that most sums it up is a two-plate etching (2005) of horses and a map of my Uncle’s property. The etching is titled, “Uncle’s Place”. With this piece I won Best of Class (Class being the category of 2-dimensional works) at the Heard Indian Art Market in 2005.

The writing on the etching reads, “I was there just days after I was born. Maybe that is why I go back. The sage is as big as trees and the horses run off the mountain.”

And some others,

The horses dominant in these images were those of Hank Franzen’s of Powder River Rodeo Co. My uncle was leasing pasture on his place to Hank a few years ago. He had the horses on the mountain all summer and then when it was time to ship them out we trailed them 14 miles down the Big Horn trail to the ranch. I believe my collection of good memories adds to my fondness of the place.

A few oil landscape paintings of Wyoming to present.

Two years ago for Easter we went on a drive from my Uncle’s ranch to Ten Sleep, WY. It was one of the best days I can remember. The country we saw traveling North along the Nowood Creek was a paradise of red dirt, new spring grass and sagebrush. I was envious of the ranchers who live there so far from civilization and unable to leave most winter months due to roads drifted in snow. The ancient sandstone formations and long-time family ranches made me think of an old country few men know.

Once upon a moonlit Western painting an artist painted a gray horse in some shabby corrals and tied him to the fence. She then added a few stars and some sagebrush. The horse was haired-up for winter and so a bit of wind-blown snow was needed. A lot of Cad. Yellow and Cobalt Blue later, a night-time Cowboy painting was born. The Artist rested content.

“Where can I find a white horse for the winter night scene I’ve always wanted to paint?”, I thought. That’s easy enough, I’ll use Clyde the Wonder Horse. We use Clyde for EVERYTHING (Ranch horse, Ranch Rodeo Horse, Rope Horse, Kid’s Horse and now Model for Night-time Painting Horse).
I felt like a tiny ant trying to place a potato chip on a rock when I tried to saddle my husband’s very tall horse with his very heavy saddle. I could have used my own saddle but it wouldn’t have been as authentic because I have such short stirrups. Not everyone identifies small women as cowboy icons.

Here’s how it was done once the photo shoot was complete.

Beginning stages of painting before the paint is applied. It takes me more time to compose the drawing and composition than it does to complete the painting.

Here’s the painting with the darks and mid-tones added.

Final Detail

The End.