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2005 EVENT
After going out to the very remote west and finding ranches that still "cowboy" in the old ways, I realized that the west I was searching for as a kid, was still there. In tiny hidden corners of the country, you can still find places untouched by time. There are ranches that gather on horseback 2000 to 3000 head of cows, across 100's of miles of fenceless landscape. The time has come where land is becoming too valuable, and it is no linger affordable to have cows roaming free, on open range. This forces ranches to sell off lands to survive, and before long, the "West" will be gone. Even now I can see dramatic changes and the things I was lucky enough to be a part of just a few years ago are now gone. For example, old style ranch rodeos, traditional brandings, log cabins with no electricity, and running the chuck wagon during roundup. I no longer have a wish to be a part of the old days, but have become part of the west I was searching for. We are at a clash of two times where traditional cowboy'n ways are being overridden by the modern technologies. This has been the focus of my paintings as I try to document moments in time that show the ways of a fading lifestyle that so many people have admired. The freedom of the west, and the wide open spaces have become a symbol of our great country. As our lives become more regimented, and the rules become more numerous, we long for those places of freedom. The subjects of my work remind people that there still is a remote, free west. It gives a sense of relief, that we are not a completely modern country, just yet. The question
I hear most often is, "Do they still do that?" Well, yes they
do, but who knows for much longer? By living in a very remote section of
Wyoming, and helping ranchers and cowboys, I feel proud to have been lucky
enough to be a part of this final chapter in the history of the American
frontier. For now, "The West" is alive, it's just hiding, in
small corners of our country, trying desperately to hang on, and not be
forgotten.
Around 1890, you didn't buy a bit from a store. You went to a blacksmith and had one made. They were all different: different sizes and different thickness of steel. Even the cheek plates didn't match. Very few had any inlaid silverwork. Ed's dad made spurs, inlaid with silver. After WWII he sold all he could make to Jedica Saddlery in Santa Barbara. Ed's aunt, Rita Thornburg, made bits and put two sons through college. Ed learned his trade while a grammar and high school student. He also worked on ranches and for the Forest Service. Town didn't agree with him, so he moved back to where he got his start. Ed says he is 85 and still working and "I'm not going to quit. It gets me out of the house and keeps my brain working." His wife says Ed enjoys work, but not when it comes to yardwork. He is happiest when he completes a project. Ed's son Gary Wayne Field has been working with him for 7 years and is doing a "good job" according to Ed. Both will be at the Paso Gathering, where Ed is a generous sponsor of the event. He donates a handcrafted silver inlaid bit each year for the fund raising drawing.
I
started photography while in college and for the past 15 years have been
photographically documenting the vaquero tradition as carried on by
ranchers in California, including Indian descendants.
In painting and sculpting, Vel concentrates on the more emotional view of the West. Vel says, “The most rugged and strongest people I’ve known have also been the kindest and most loving. This is the feeling I try to portray. I want the person who views my work to see something they have experienced themselves, or to feel a mood that brings them happiness.” It is
true that some of the images are gone and some live only in the artwork
created before us, but there is still a story to tell and world full of
subjects to portray. This is what all Artists, whether craftsmen, painters,
sculptor, singers or storytellers, are trying to present: the love we feel
for the West. We hope you
share it with us. If you do,
the West and the Spirit of the West will live forever.” Vel
attended the Art League of Los Angeles, studying under Hal Reed and Max
Turner. She later taught
there. An important mentor,
Joe Deyong, a protégé of Charlie Russell, encouraged and inspired her
with his stories and love of the Old West. Participating
in numerous exhibitions, Vel has earned over 40 “Firsts,” Best of
Show,” and “Purchase Awards.” She has completed several corporate commissions.
Her work is displayed in museums and public and private collections
Internationally. She and her
artwork have been featured in Contemporary Western
Artists, several
editions of Southwest
Art and Art of the West
magazines. She is currently
listed in “Who’s Who in American Art,” “Who’s Who in the
West,” “Who’s Who of American Women,” and “An Encyclopedia of
Women Artists of the American West.”
Vel was commissioned to do the drawings on Western
Horseman’s
Cowboy Calendars for 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 and has recently
illustrated and created covers for several books. Vel was in a show in Sorrento, Italy in September 2000 with
The American Women Artists, an artist group of which she is a founding
member. The Mayor of Sorrento
purchased one of her paintings. In
the fall of 2000, Vel was commissioned to do a heroic size monument of the
City of Paso Robles, California. The
8-foot high sculpture of a Fireman handing a baby to a Policewoman, titled
“Reward for Valor” will be dedicated in 2004. 
Richard
“Sparky” Moore does a variety of artwork with western flare.
His background as a cartoonist for more than 50 years for
studios like Disney, Hanna & Barbera, and Dell/Western Publishing
had him drawing anywhere from adventure to western comic books like
“Little Beaver” and “Range Rider” to many years of drawing,
among others for Disney studios, “Winnie the Pooh” for both books
and newspaper comic strips.
He now uses that creative imagination to give us western art
that offers, at times, humor as well as taking us back to a way of
life that used to be.
Come by and see what “Sparky” has come up with this year,
you’ll find anything from hand carved rocking “mules”, cowboy
and cowgirl cutouts, and of course his popular western sketches.
Ernie's art
talents began to show at an early age, with special interests in the
California vaquero. Vaquero art was a hobby for Ernie until 1964 when he
became a full-time artist as an occupation. In 1967 Ernie began placing a
small hackamore beside his name on his paintings as a symbol to connect
his art and his rawhide work. He has created artwork with pen and ink, pencil, charcoal, watercolor, oils, acrylic, bronze sculpting, and wood carving, and he has authored and illustrated four popular books about vaquero horsemanship and livestock handling --- El Vaquero (published in 1989), El Buckaroo (published in 1995), and Riata Men (published in 1999) and California Cowboy Inventions. His art, rawhide work, and books have been featured in galleries, museums, and private collections throughout the United States and in many other parts of the world. Although Ernie's art encompasses most of his time, he is active in the cattle business, training his won ranch horses, braiding rawhide gear, and occasionally making horse-hair mecates. Ernie and his wife, Blanche, reside on their ranch near Templeton, California, where they enjoy Western art, horses, cattle, and friendly conversation.
Dorothy Rogers and
California Classics While teaching full time, Dorothy served as the Equestrian Project Officer for SLO County with the Chamber of commerce for which she staged events, ranch tours, and acted as a liaison with the equine community. Practical application of seat to saddle came in the running of a cow/calf operation as well as taking day work on ranches. This gave her an appreciation for "an all day seat" built in a saddle. She was a partner in a custom saddlery for over 15 years and has also associated with master silver and gold smiths who have given her knowledge of the finer points of traditional craftsmanship, line, balance, and style. Dorothy is the Equestrian Editor for a a local newspaper and outside editorial writer for other equine publications. This affords her the opportunity and privilege to meet and know some of the world's top horsemen and their needs and preferences. Dorothy is currently a syndicated equine columnist. Dorothy's late mother was a fine tailor and costume designer trained in the European school. She designed some of the apparel carried at California Classics today. Her late father, Roy Rogers, cowboyed the ranches of the Southwest and California. He possessed an innate ability with animals. This has left Dorothy with an ever present desire to learn more about working with her horses, cattle and dogs and seeking out those who have dedicated themselves to the development of this relationship. California Classics is celebrating ten years making and providing classic Western essentials and accessories for horse ranch and rider. Besides fine horse gear in the tradition of Californios, we offer the largest selection of Western and cowboy music in the West. Dorothy has also completed over 4,400 hand-rolled wild rags. We offer traditional silver from the oldest Western (1870's) silversmiths and the second oldest. Our shop is five minutes south of the museum in Templeton. California Classics was started by Dorothy in 1994. Dorothy and the talented artists, artisans, and craftsmen she gathered together continue to create and locate mid to upper end horse gear and leathercraft, premium silver for horse and human, limited edition silk scarves, wool vests, and other apparel, collectibles, decorator items, fine western art and specially selected music, books, videos and gifts. These are hand selected in an effort to enrich the lives of ranchers, cowboys, charros, horsemen, aficionados, working buckaroos, or those who just want a touch of the West. We are "preserving traditions as old as the West" both here and abroad while progressing toward the future with the help and blessings of many good friends and Our Lord. Aaron
Winchell and
California Classics
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BILL
ADAMS 
TUMBLEWEED
SADDLERY 
SANDRA CULVER 
JOE D. HERNANDEZ 
SPARKY
MOORE 
