“converse cowboy” will be hung at day and night gallery in austin, tx starting on 3.12.26
Converse Cowboy
About the painting
Converse Cowboy explores the evolving mythology of the American West through a contemporary lens. Inspired by a real photograph of my Uncle John riding a bull in his Converse Chuck Taylors, this painting captures a collision between traditional rodeo imagery and familiar symbols of American pop culture. Dressed in classic Levi's denim, a golf polo, and sneakers rather than boots, the rider becomes a modern cowboy—one foot planted in the mythology of the West and the other in the everyday iconography of contemporary America.
At the center of the composition lies a tension between the two figures. The bull, massive and seemingly unbothered, embodies the enduring force of the American West—wild, indifferent, and larger than life. In contrast, the rider appears taut with focus and vulnerability, holding on through courage and grit. Together they suggest a broader cultural moment: a modern America reaching back toward a harsh history, attempting to reclaim a sense of wildness, grit, independence, and identity.
the original photo of my uncle John that inspired this painting
““The West is not a place. It’s a state of mind.”
– Larry McMurty
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