Paleo, Field to Table.  Buffalo Gap, Texas Circa 1875 (SOLD)

The Buffalo, which is the common name for the American Bison, was the all-encompassing lifestyle of the Comanche people, warrior rulers of the Llano Estacado, for hundreds of years.  This painting depicts a hunting scene, and Buffalo Gap was a small opening in the mesas that form the Callahan Divide escarpment just south of present-day Abilene.  The Comanches used the narrow gap to herd and hunt buffalo and the little town of Buffalo Gap was established long before the Railroad came through and put Abilene on the map.  Present-day Buffalo Gap is noted for the Perini Ranch Steakhouse and became a Mecca of sorts for all things related to gourmet and Texas-style food and wine.

This latest painting is one of a series of paintings depicting Chief Quanah Parker, Comanche Nation and the clash of cultures between the Comanche Nation and the Texians.  It is 36”x 36”. The painting is Acrylic on 120-year-old, handwritten deeds, glued to canvas, from Parker County, Texas.  It is significant that Parker County was named after Isaac Parker, the Chief’s mother, Cynthia Ann Parker’s uncle.  These deeds conveyed Land once controlled by the Comanches.  In this most recent work, a large part of the picture plane reveals the historic documents, and these actual relics from the time period of the event have become an important part of the artwork both visually and symbolically.