Painted on the skull of a longhorn who lived his full life on the very ranch I now call home, Where the Longhorns Roam is a tribute to the quiet dignity of these iconic animals and to the woman who cares for them. My landlord—an extraordinary rancher in her seventies—runs this place on her own. She knows every animal by heart, grieves each calf she has to sell in the fall, and dreams of keeping them all if she ever struck it rich. She even takes in every stray cat and dog that’s been dumped along these backroads, offering them food, shelter, and vet care without a second thought.
This bull passed of old age, and she gifted me his skull to paint—an honor that carries both heritage and heart. I chose to paint him as he lived: roaming under a warm Montana sky, steady and sure, part of the land as much as the sage and the wind. His story is still here, etched into bone and color, carrying the spirit of the West, the resilience of the animals who shape it, and the compassion of the woman who tends them.
This piece isn’t just a painted skull—it’s a portrait of a life well-lived, and of a place where every creature matters.
Hand painted longhorn skull. 72” Wide
Painted on the skull of a longhorn who lived his full life on the very ranch I now call home, Where the Longhorns Roam is a tribute to the quiet dignity of these iconic animals and to the woman who cares for them. My landlord—an extraordinary rancher in her seventies—runs this place on her own. She knows every animal by heart, grieves each calf she has to sell in the fall, and dreams of keeping them all if she ever struck it rich. She even takes in every stray cat and dog that’s been dumped along these backroads, offering them food, shelter, and vet care without a second thought.
This bull passed of old age, and she gifted me his skull to paint—an honor that carries both heritage and heart. I chose to paint him as he lived: roaming under a warm Montana sky, steady and sure, part of the land as much as the sage and the wind. His story is still here, etched into bone and color, carrying the spirit of the West, the resilience of the animals who shape it, and the compassion of the woman who tends them.
This piece isn’t just a painted skull—it’s a portrait of a life well-lived, and of a place where every creature matters.
Hand painted longhorn skull. 72” Wide
