Note: All unframed prints will come rolled in a tube. Please inquire at clarkkelleyprice@gmail.com if you would like your canvas print mounted or gallery wrapped. Frame N509-14 is 2.5" wide and is shown here with the 12x18 size. Frame 110111 is 3" wide. Frame L1002-BK91 is 4.25" wide and shown with the 16x24 size.
About this Art:
This painting depicts an example of events which took place from time to time on the open range back in the 1800s in places like Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, etc. One might ask what is happening here and I will explain. Cowboys had a big job to do on the open range (we are talking basically after the Civil War back in the 1860s from then on until today - even the same jobs have to be done by Cowboys today out on the range).
What are they doing? They are trying to rope a large steer. The purpose could be for several reasons. The steer might not have a brand on it and they’re going to put a brand on it. Maybe the steer has a physical condition like an ulcer or large pus pocket or infection that needs to be lanced to get the infection out. The list could go on. The idea is to lasso the critter by the head or horns and by the hind legs so that it can be stretched out and held tight while the doctoring is done. The two most common methods of roping an animal like this are what was termed "hard and fast” and "dally roping”.
So now the question is, what do these two terms mean? I will explain. Hard and fast means to tie the rope off on the saddle horn so that it could not come loose. The advantage in this method was that the steer or cow can not get away. The rope was tied to the horn of the saddle horn usually by two half hitches. The disadvantage of this method is that if there is a tangle, the horse, rider and the steer all get caught up in the rope. The rope can not be let loose and a very dangerous situation could occur very fast. A man could be killed in a situation like this or a horse could be injured. Even the cow could be, although usually it is the men and horses. Thus the second method was used to avoid such a tangle.
In the dally method, the rope is wrapped around the horn two or three times but the cowboy holds onto the end of the rope so that if a tangle occurs, he can let go of the rope and it will come off the horn allowing the rider and the horse to escape injury. Many cowboys prefer the DALLY method for this reason. Other cowboys prefer the assurance that the critter is not going to get away because it was tied hard and fast.
The disadvantage in the dally method is that a cowboy can get his thumb or fingers or even his hand caught between the rope and the horn very quickly and when the steer pulls the rope tight, you usually have so much pressure against the saddle horn that a thumb or a finger can be sliced off extremely quickly, as if it was done with a sharp knife. Many cowboys have lost their thumbs, and fingers and once in a while, even their hands to an accident using the dally method, but many cowboys using the hard and fast method have been killed or seriously injured because they were tangled up in the rope and trampled or kicked and they couldn’t release the rope so they were caught and could not get out of it. Either method is dangerous and demonstrates some of the risky things that cowboys have to do on a daily basis. It is a very dangerous occupation, but the men who do it love it because it’s a challenge and very satisfying work.
So back to the painting, we see Brewster tied hard and fast to the saddle horn and was lucky not to get tangled between the steer and the horse and the rope but now the steer is angry and is turning back on the horse to run him through with his horns. Meanwhile, Brewster has pulled his pistol from his holster and is trying to get a good aim on the steer to kill it before it kills his horse. His partner is trying to throw his rope onto the steers head so that he can pull the steer away before he gets to the horse. What is going to happen - that is the question. All we know is that the cowboys are doing their best to keep a bad situation from getting a lot worse. If you ever have a conversation with a real cowboy, who has made his living out on the range taking care of cattle it won’t be long until you hear some stories about things like this that have happened to them. That being said, no cowboy that I have ever known would trade his job with anybody else's. It’s worth the danger for the thrill and satisfaction of accomplishing a very challenging job.
P.S. As for myself, I'm a dally man and always will be.