February 10, 2026
The art thing that I still seek to this day is, if not mastery, an attempt to capture the vagueness of old photos. This desire and quest no doubt stems from the thousands of old, damaged photos I have looked at and studied ever since I bought my first True West magazine from Desert Drugs in downtown Kingman in 1957. Of course, 42 years later, that obsession took a fortuitous turn.
Yes, when I illustrate stories for the magazine, I want them to have an authentic, Old West patina.
And, yes, sometimes I miss. I have been accused of doing "finger paintings" in the magazine and I hate to admit it but it has some merit since I am trying to emulate those old damaged images and sometimes the end result is more damaged "finger painting" than authentic.
Conversely, once in a while I hit the jackpot and the vague distortions and specific detail combine to make an exquisite image. This is one of those rare instances:
Once in a blue moon, the magic happens and I get a combo of Old Photo meets Modern Pathos.
I also dig the amber glow of old photos and sometimes I try to blend the obscureness of old photos with the effervescent glow of a modern pop image. Here's a decent example of that:
Like Chief Dan George noted in Little Big Man, "Sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn't."
Daily Whip Out: "Seldom Seen Slim"I have long heard of the moniker but I didn't realize this guy was a real person.
Me lonely? Hell no! I'm half coyote and half wild burro."
—Seldom Seen Slim, these words are the epitaph on his grave at Ballarat, California Cemetery
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