Rough Zapata On The Rise

March 5, 2020
   Working on a cover idea.

Daily Whip Out:

"Zapata On The Rise"

   Here's another Samuel K. Dolan stunner from south of the border.

Rural folk (peons) with Rurales

(El Norte mounted police)

Daily Whip Out:

"Lincoln, New Mexico Territory"

Lily Langtree?

"History is open to interpretation, but it isn't a lap dog you can make leap however you like."
—Neil Steinberg

Don Dedera Has Passed

March 4, 2020
   Everyone complains about the intrusiveness of social media, including myself, however, for those of us who enjoy seeing new, old photographs, the whole dang shebang is a wonderful treasure chest of joy and a bright, vivid window into the past.

A Cowboy And His Dog

(and his saddle and his Winchester)

   I'm not even sure where this image came from. Perhaps from Garrett Roberts or Samuel K. Dolan, both of whom often post treasures from their collections, or from their research. If I snagged this from one of you, I apologize and I promise I will give credit where credit is due. This, in fact, is part of my working mantra, which I learned from this guy:

Marshall Trimble, Don Dedera and me.

   The legendary Don Dedera has passed. We who love Arizona, loved him a whole bunch. He was two weeks shy of his 91st birthday. Here is Marshall Trimble and myself with Don on his 89th birthday. Learned a ton from him, and he always claimed he "invented" me.

"Discipline is the backbone of graciousness. Stoicism is the other face of wounds. In the most beautiful smile, painful knowledge hovers."

—Roger Cohen

More Bozecards For The Road

March 4, 2020
   One of my pet projects is to develop a line of Bozecards (Postcards from the edge). Dan the Man Harshberger created a rack card for me and I have some of my most recent cards of Geronimo and Wild Bill and the 66 Kid down at the Scottsdale Museum of the West.

   I am getting set to go out on my Geronimo book tour and I thought it would be cool to bring along a Bozecard rack with some other postcards to display and sell. Over the pat 20 years we have produced some mighty fine cards for promotional usage and here are just a smattering of them:

Bozecards for The Road

​

Blaze Away and Shotguns of The Old West

​

125th Anniversary of the O.K. Corral

and Great Western Train Trips

​

Western Movies and Wyatt And Doc

​

Doc and Custer

​

Classic True West Covers

   See anything you'd buy as a postcard, I mean a Bozecard?

"Common sense is not a gift, it's a punishment. Because you have to deal with everyone who doesn't have it."
—Old Vaquero Saying

Campfire Hallucinations & El Rancho Grande Mexican Movie Posters

March 3, 2020
   Sometimes it seems like the artwork goes where it wants to go.

Daily Whip Out: "Campfire Hallucinations"

   Other times I am inspired by images sent to me. For example, my Tejano-Artist-Amigo Buckeye Blake, sent me this photo of Navajos at the Flagstaff Pow Wow in the 1920s when In-dins became cowboys, Bigtime.

Under The Navajo Brim

Muy Mas Mexicano!
   I've been studying classic Mexican movie posters to get the feel for that period. This is for a graphic novel I am working on with my son.

 "Vuelven los Garcias" (The Garcias Return)

1946

   I love that period of El Rancho Grande (literally):

"Alla en el Rancho Grande"

(Over at The Big Ranch)

American title:

"The Little Cock That Could"

"Dona Diabla" (She Devil), 1949

"Si Adelita Se Fuera Con Otro"

(If Adelita Went off With Another Man)

1948

American Title:

"Double Dating With Pancho Villa"

"Cartas Marcadas" (Marked Cards), 1947

American title: "Infantile Humor Scores Big"

   Full disclosure: some of the previous renamed American titles are mine.

   When it comes to public speaking:

 "It only matters how much we empower our audience to solve a problem they truly care about."

—Neil Gordon

Rise of the Puntales

March 2, 2020

   Back in 2008, Kathy and I traveled to Peru to visit our son, Thomas Charles, who was in the Peace Corp. While we were there, we got to experience a Peruvian bullfight. What a privilege it was to see those bulls fight—and, in some cases, NOT fight—each other. That's right, no bullfighter-toreador-torrero, just two bulls, fighting each other. As it should be!

Daily Whip Out: "The Rise of the Puntales

   This fond memory resonated with me this weekend, because Pancho Villa called his henchmen, Los Puntales, the fighting bulls. And, I just think that is a perfect name for them.

   I am rereading "The Life and Times of Pancho Villa" by Friedrich Katz and it's interesting to see my hand written notes in the margins. I was amazed then, as I am amazed now, at the crazy, amazing story.

   Ironically, one of the seeds of the Mexican Revolution was planted on the day Geronimo was shipped to Florida. Up until that day, in September of 1886, the central government in Mexico City cared little about El Norte. it was next to uninhabitable because of the constant raiding by the Apaches for over a century! On the day Geronimo left, the value of cattle ranches in Arizona doubled! In Mexico, with the G-Man and the Chiricahuas shipped off to Florida, Porfirio Diaz (newly back in power after not liking what his hand-picked successor was doing) encouraged investment and scientific advancement. He invited the railroads and rich Americanos, like George Hearst, and other captains of industry, to come down and invest in the future of Mexico. Then he brought in surveyors to divide the land, which up to that time had been the domain of the Free Villagers: local land around villages was not owned by any one person (Ejidos: public lands). Much of the property was communal with everyone using the same pastures or sharing land. With the surveyors (they got to keep a third of all they surveyed!) came specific property boundaries and then when locals resisted when communal pastures were closed, the central government took away their voting for mayors power, and then you get Jefe Politicos, or appointed political positions that could be counted on to tow the government line. Of course the elites got filthy rich off of these foreign investments, acting as brokers and finding places for the Americanos to buy.  Some elites in Mexico City were called the Cientificos (they believed in science, promoted technology, wanted to improve education, grant paid vacations to workers and and other "positivist reforms"). Today they would be called Libtards and Progressives. In fact, one of the main reasons for the Revolution is not rich vs. poor, but the division of the elites against each other. Sound familiar?

"Poor New Mexico. So far from God, so close to Texas."
—Old Vaquero Saying

Mexican Soup Jokes That Make Me Happy

February 29, 2020
   Lots going on, some of which I am actually in control of.

Geronimo Never Surrender Tour

   I'm rounding up campfire light reference, like this:

   Notice the blue outline on the middle face. Must be a trained spot light (this is a movie still). Interesting juxtaposition between blues and campfire orange. That's where I'm trying to go here:

Daily Whip Out:

"Blue Rim Campfire Lighting"

Daily Whip Out:

"More Campfire Rim Lighting"

   More studies to follow. Meanwhile. . .

Mexican Soup Jokes That Make Me Happy

   Waiter, this soup is cold.

   It’s Gazpacho.

   Gazpacho, this soup is cold.

The Bright Side of Plagues
   To me, the semi-satisfying thing about an outbreak that requires people not to leave their homes for 90 days is it means the only ones to survive will be freelance writers.

   Like many of us who dream of cashing in and moving out on the desert, the Mojave have an answer for that: 

"That's what you think you want. What you really want is to die and keep on living. You want to run away from life to a place that you have named the desert. There is no such place."
—Massayesva, Mojave medicine man

Kids at War, Artists at Peace

February 28, 2020
   Finding some great photos of Mexican Revolution art reference for my latest project. How about this stunner, posted by Samuel K. Dolan:

Kids at War: Mexican Revolution

   According to Sam, this came out of the scrapbook of John R. Peavey at The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. I've asked for a high res of this, for a feature we want to do on kids at war.

   Meanwhile in the campfire glow arena. . .

Daily Whip Out: "Pendejos In Firelight 2"

   Thanks to my good friend, Mort Mortensen, I was reminded of an earlier attempt at black blocks of design. Sometimes I forget how good I am and have to rediscover my strengths. That may sound cocky, but it's actually more of a dementia related confession.

Daily Whip Out: "Bandito Smirk"

   Like so many others, I am trying to find peace with myself in terms of my artistic efforts. Not easy to do because we are constantly fighting against our own deficiencies. 

"Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide."
—D.W. Winnicott
   

The Best Part of Yoga And The Future King of The Campfire Light

February 27, 2020
 Working on the May issue of True West. Also had a phone conference with our editor, Stuart Rosebrook, our Production Manager Robert Ray and our Art Director Dan The Man Harshberger, about pushing out farther on cover ideas. Talked about a variety of cover concepts including images of the usual suspects: Custer, Carson, Curly, Captain Call and Lorena Wood Parker (Diane Lane). Oh, and Zapata, and Virgil Earp in Prescott.

   Went home for lunch and worked on another campfire scene.

Daily Whip Out: "On Guard Sequence"

   Still learning how to handle campfire light, but at this rate, by the time I'm eighty-five, I predict I'll be the King of The Campfire Light.

   Mark my words.

   Here for no other reason other than I dig this guy and his mule, is Lee Anderson on his favorite, long-eared mount.

   This was the lead up to our Mighty Mule issue, which is still one of my favorite issues we have ever done. And we have done hundreds of issues

"People keep telling me to do yoga. I tried it once at the place down the street. The only part I like was the part at the end when the teacher covered you with a blanket and you got to pretend you were dead for ten minutes."
—Jenny Offill, "Dept. of Speculation"

Tomas Urbina and The Armed Revolutionary Guards

February 26, 2020
   Tomas Urbina, is the model for a fictional character I am developing. Here is the splash page opening, which I have been working on for a couple days since I got back from Mexico.

Daily Whip Out: "On Guard"

I have to give a shout out to Samuel K. Dolan, who has been posting some spectacular photos of the Mexican Revolution, like this one:

Maderistas, 1911

   More drawings to follow. Love this stuff, especially the head gear. To me, it's the apex of frontier style.

"The Revolution, do not be mistaken, it is the fight of the poor against the rich. I was very poor before the Revolution and now I am very rich." 
—Tomas Urbina

Sketchbook Flashbacks

February 25, 2020
   Taking stock of my Mexico journey. Here are my sketchbook pages where you can see my thought process.

Daily Whip Outs: "Avoiding Writing"

Daily Whip Outs: "Campfire Tales"

Daily Whip Outs: "Dodging A Bullet"

Daily Whip Outs:

"Home Is Where I Hang My Hat"

   So, there you have it. A typical arc on a typical week on the road in Mexico.

"The old man was good enough to hook the big fish, but he wasn't strong enough to reel it in."
—Robert Towne, on the theme of "The Old Man & The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

On Guard In Progress

February 24, 2020
   Back from Mexico. Went into the office this morning to fight fires, April issue is at the printers, then came home for lunch to work on a set piece.

Daily Whip Out: "On Guard, In Progress"

"I did what I could with what I had."
—Old Kingman Boy Epitaph

Another Corner Another Dog

February 23, 2020
   Last day on the beach. Had fun, we're done.

Mexican Murals On The Road to Choya Bay

Another Intersection, Another Dog

   Kathy wanted to see and buy pots, so we went here.

"Pots Galore"

   Last breakfast on the beach.

Cowgirl In The Sand Redux

   I finished reading "The Big Goodbye" and Boy Howdy was it a downer. I admired all those boys—and they were boys—Nicholson, Evans, Towne and Polanski, and man did they ever go through the wringer to make "Chinatown" and, then, after their victory lap, things really got ugly. Somber beach reading, a warning tale to all of us who dreamed of being filmmakers. The author, Sam Wasson, has some choice quotes in the book and this is one of them:

"Longing on a large scale is what makes history."
—Don LeLillo

The Grouper Girl And High Five Riders On Sandy Beach

February 22, 2020
   I'm doing a story that takes place in a Mexican border town in the 1970s. So I went out today looking for photo reference, of a dusty, old school neighborhood in Puerto Penasco with a stray Mexican dog crossing the street. I didn't have to look far:

Why did the Mexican dog cross the street?

   It's just good business.

   Not far from there I ran across this vaquero coming down the street. This is not faked or prompted in any way. He really stood up in the saddle and rode past us. I shot this right out the window as we drove by:

High Five Rider

   Rocky Point has great restaurants and yesterday we ate at one of our favorites, high up on the point with a spectacular view of the entire town and beaches.

Grouper Girl High On A Hill

   Heading home tomorrow. It's been fun but are done.

   Jim Cross sent me newsstand rack position for True West magazine at Albertson's at 19th Ave and Northern in Phoenix, Arizona. Face out and he didn't move it. Thanks Jim.

True West magazine, face out

at Albertsons (bottom row, right)

"To be original, write from the body…from how it experiences existence. The body
never lies. Sometimes the head is lazy."
—Red Shuttleworth

Home of The Exposed Rebar & The Razz Revue Redux Extravaganza

February 21, 2020
   One of the things I love about Mexico is this:

Mexico: Home of the Exposed Rebar

   So a dune buggy pulls up to the beach next to our condo and these horn players get out and start playing triplets while a guy sings into a phone. I swear, it sounded like the start of a noir movie. I had to go down and take their picture.

La Banda del Charko

on Sandy Beach, Mexico

   Speaking of snot-nosed musicians, Gary Billey has renovated this old 1977 video:

The Razz TV Special

   Check it out.

"The artist's job is to be witness to his time in history."
—Robert Rauschenberg

Pendejos En La Penasco

February 19, 2020
   It's off season and nobody's here. Got the place to ourselves. Allows me to get some work done.

Daily Whip Out: "El Pendejo In Green"

Daily Whip Out: "Pendejos In Firelight"

   Of course when we are south of the border it isn't just sketching and working all day.

BBB at The Point in Puerto Penasco

   When I'm on vacation, I often look for inspiration. I found it here:

   "People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father's blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day. I was just fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name of Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robbed him of his life and his horse and $150 in cash money plus two California gold pieces that he carried in his trouser band."
—Charles Portis, who recently passed

"This paragraph is telling you exactly what this book is going to be: funny, harsh, comically dignified and based entirely on the internal struggle of a dry, haughty, extremely badass fourteen-year-old girl."
—Emily Temple, extolling the virtues of the first paragraph of "True Grit"

On The Beach With El Pendenjo?

February 18, 2020
   Having fun in the sun with the beach all to ourselves.

Another Day, Another Empty Beach

   Lots of free time to sketch and enjoy the solitude.

On The Beach With El Pendenjo?

   Yes, misspelled Pendejo with an extra "n." A near miss, as it were. That is Steve Canyon inspired lettering. Could work.

   Meanwhile. . .

My Board of Inspiration

I'm reading a couple of beach books. "The Dept. of Speculation" by Jenny Offill, and "The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and The Last Years of Hollywood" by Sam Wasson. Both are inspiring and instructive. Jenny builds a narrative based on snippets (Kathy calls her "The Sentence Lady") and Wasson is pretty profound himself as he spins out the Roman Polanski-Sharon Tate tinged tragedy. This is a good example.

"They were golden, their friends were golden, and with so much gold to go around, all were happy at one another's shine."

   Wasson also has an ear for summing up eras like this:

"Dreaming you're in paradise and waking up in the dark—that's Chinatown. Thinking you've got it figured out and realizing you're dead—that's Chinatown."

—Sam Wasson paraphrasing Robert Towne