Monday, October 16, 2023

Cellphone Cowboys & Chicken Scratch Jams

 October 16, 2023

   Went down to the Scottsdale Museum of the West last night for their big fundraiser and got to see this brave and zany watercolor, by William Mathews, which I call "Cellphone Cowboy."

    In my opinion, very few "Cowboy Artists" would have the balls to portray this and it is, in fact, very authentic to OUR time!

   The other image by Mitchell that was worth the trip down into the Beast, was this one.

"Waddie Mitchell"

 by W. "Wilhelm" Wallace

   I also took the opportunity to take in "Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo/Cowboys From the Cross of the Devil" photo exhibit which consists of 57 images and multimedia by Werner Segarra that celebrates the remote world of the Sonora, Mexico vaquero. From the reed-roofed houses and improvised corrals to the lassoing and herding of cattle and everyday rituals, the exhibit captures life in the Sierra Madre Mountains. 

A close-up on one of Werner's
Sonoran vaqueros

   I also enjoyed several street scenes, like this one featuring a local Chicken Scratch band.


   I love it that the bass player, at left, is perhaps 6' 2' and the guitar player is maybe 5' 2" and the horn section can't be bothered with standing upright. The drummer is making do with a snare, a cowbell and a tiny cymbal. Love, love, love this image and I can almost hear the wailing and the chunka-cruncha-scratching. Can't you just hear them? 

   And, here's a Billy Schenck painting which is the best image, to me, in the Schenck Meets Andy Warhol Show, also at the museum. 

Billy Schenck's Ridge Rider

   So, three must see shows in one location. Check 'em out!

"What makes the desert so beautiful is that somewhere it hides a spring."
—Old Vaquero Saying

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