Cowboys & Indians / July 2010 / The Artist Ride

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The Artist Ride

A group of cowboys, dressed in period attire and waving coiled lariats, drive a herd of longhorns across a river. The setting sun sheds a golden light on the yellow slickers donned by some of the cowboys and dances with the spray as the animals splash in the water. This perfect Western scene could have taken place 150 years ago, if it weren’t for the horde of 50 trigger-happy photographers lining up the riverbank and snapping away while the action unfolds. A newsworthy event of some sort? To the Western art world, yes. The photographers are, in fact, Western artists who take reference photographs that will help them create their future art. All of them have been invited to participate in the Artist Ride, an annual retreat of artists, models, and reenactors set against the backdrop of South Dakota’s Cheyenne River country.

It all started in 1984, when Dale Lewis, then editor of Dakota West magazine, invited a small group of cowboys and artists to participate in a trail and wagon ride. Artist Dan Deuter asked if the participants could dress in period attire so that he could photograph them as a reference for future paintings. So much time during the ride was spent setting up and photographing that two years later, Deuter suggested they might save time by camping and staying in one location where they could create as many scenes as they would like. Lavon Shearer, one of the pioneers of the Artist Ride, offered his property, Shearer Ranch. The picturesque 20,000-acre spread, located outside of downtown Wall, South Dakota, straddles the Cheyenne River and boasts steep bluffs, open meadows, old cottonwood trees, and ponds. The ranch also includes horses, longhorn cattle, and old wagons, providing the perfect setting for generating scenes of Western heritage. Over the years, the three-day invitation-only August weekend has evolved into a tremendous rendezvous where 150 models and reenactors act out scenes for 50 of the genre’s most renowned artists, helping them create their vision of the West.

“This place is like a big movie set,” says Jim Hatzell, Rapid City artist and director of the Artist Ride. When Deuter moved to Colorado in 1996, the original organizer asked Hatzell if he would take the reins of the Artist Ride. Along with his artist’s eye, Hatzell also has an eye for Western history and understands what artists are looking for. And his strong background in history and contacts in the film industry — he has contributed to more than 50 films, including Dances with Wolves, Far and Away, Geronimo: An American Legend, Gettysburg, and Hidalgo — came in handy when providing props and an extensive wardrobe of period clothing. He also arranges for the models, most of who are reenactors Hatzell met on movie sets. “If they’re good enough for the movies, they’re good enough for the Artist Ride,” he says.

The subjects certainly live up to Hatzell’s high standard of authenticity — and have a blast doing it. Robert Culbertson is a reenactor from Leavenworth, Kansas, who likes to portray the early 1870s cowboy from the cattle drive era. He met Hatzell in 1996 on the set of Rough Riders, attended his first Artist Ride a year later, and has been coming ever since. “It doesn’t get any better than this as far as doing things on horseback,” Culbertson says. “I grew up with horses and always enjoyed history. The Artist Ride is the way to bring it all together.”

Since most artists rely on the models’ own knowledge of historical detail, Culbertson strives for accuracy. “If you are going to do a job, use the right tools,” he says. For him, that means studying the outfits in Russell and Remington paintings and trying to replicate them. A basic understanding of contrast, color, and lighting learned on movie sets also gives Culbertson helpful fodder for the artists, who, he says, often don’t know what they want until they see it.

Of course, on the organizing end, Hatzell is also sure to accommodate those who know exactly what they want. Every year, he asks the artists to fill out a “wish list” of material they would like to see, and the models do their best to pack accordingly. “One year,” he reminisces, “an artist wanted to paint a scene depicting a 1930s pilot who had crashed in the mountains and was rescued by a Canadian Mountie. We got it for him.”

It is that effort to go above and beyond that helps the artists participating in the ride to capture and preserve a period that they have relatively no connection with. And it can have dividends for the models, too: For the Native American models in particular, the event helps preserve their heritage. “I like to portray every tribe because it’s a remembrance of what it used to be,” says Thomas White, a Navajo model who now lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming. White and the other reenactors are a dream come true for artists like John Gawne, who attended his first Artist Ride in 1999. “I didn’t have any material with Native Americans, so this place was a gold mine,” says Gawne. “This is like being a kid in a candy store.”

he day starts early on the Artist Ride. Before dawn, artists and models start emerging from their tepees, tents, and RVs spread across the sprawling campground. It’s important that everyone be ready by sunup so that the artists can capture the best light. Artists begin setting up their scenes while models try to spark their creativity. Sitting by a covered wagon, a pioneer woman cradles a child while three pistol-waving cowboys stage a gunfight outside a saloon. A stone’s throw away, sitting by a tepee, two buckskin-clad mountain men are trading beads and knives — using sign language — with Lakota Sioux model Jay Red Hawk. “I am not really interested in beads,” Red Hawk says, entertaining the photographers by addressing the mountain men with a joke. “Don’t you have DVDs or cell phones to trade?” In the distance, a stagecoach is being held up at gunpoint by a group of Mexican banditos wearing a bandoleer of cartridges across their chests.

Suddenly, Hatzell announces, “The horses are coming!” Pushed by cowboys, a small herd of horses crosses the river back-and-forth while photographers capture the scene. Shortly after, the same stagecoach that was being held up earlier crosses the river back-and-forth, flanked by a few outriders. Then an Indian warrior, riding bareback and brandishing a spear, dashes at a full gallop across the water. Later, a packer leads a horse with elk antlers strapped to its pack. “It’s amazing how much Western art in this country gets created from three square miles along the Cheyenne River,” says Hatzell.

A short distance away, artist Mike McCombs asks his model to spin her horse several times so that he can capture the movement and the spontaneity he likes to bring out in his paintings. McCombs has been coming here from Bend, Oregon, for three years. “The first year, I was overwhelmed by everything that was going on everywhere. I was just trying to take it all in,” he says. “It’s a celebration of the American West. Everybody is the real deal.”

By midday, when the hot August sun washes out the colors, artists and models relax in the shade, grab a bite to eat, or discuss new scenes. Photographing and modeling will resume later in the afternoon, when the light becomes soft again. In the meantime, Galen Wallum takes advantage of the break to meditate on original ideas. A triple threat — cowboy, artist, and model — Wallum has been attending the Artist Ride since 1989. Being an artist gives him a stronger understanding of what looks natural and engaging. “When the cameras shut off, my mind takes over,” Wallum says. “I try to find the uniqueness of a shot and do something different from anybody else. Having been a cowboy for 50 years helps me. My ideas come from ranching.”

Hatzell works hard to bring in strong artists and skilled reenactors like Wallum. He does this by maintaining a “do not invite” list of stingy tippers. “If a photograph is good enough to take, it’s good enough to pay for,” says Hatzell. He also tries to invite artists representing a good variety of mediums. “We can’t only have oil painters. Right now, I am looking for more sculptors,” he says. But the number one draw behind the Artist Ride is the camaraderie shared by all. “Everyone helps each other out,” says Red Hawk. Hatzell agrees: “It’s like a family reunion. We are like one happy family.”

By late afternoon, Hatzell moves everyone to a ridge overlooking the ranch. There, new scenes unfold. An Indian war party chases the stagecoach, their colorful attire and weapons standing out against the blue sky. Down below, two voyageurs quietly paddle their pelt-laden canoe across a pond. Jay T. Rockwell, a Wild Bill Hickok impersonator, rears his horse to allow the artists to capture the action on camera. Models and artists work until the last ray of sun has disappeared behind the ridge, closing another perfect day in the West.

The evening finds everybody gathered around a blazing bonfire for a hearty supper. Two cowboys strum their guitars before striking up some campfire tunes. A couple gets up to dance, their slow twirls silhouetted against the flames. In the makeshift Dead Horse Saloon, artists and models discuss the scenes of the day and come up with new ideas. Everyone is looking forward to the next day, but model Carol Huggins, who came for this special experience all the way from Kansas, knows it will be over too soon. “The second you drive off the ranch, you realize you have to wait for another whole year,” she says, already looking forward to her next trip back in time.

FYI: The Artist Ride takes place on the Shearer family ranches (www.cowcreekranches.com), 20 miles outside of downtown Wall, South Dakota, along the Cheyenne River. The event is by invitation only. Artists must be invited directly by Jim Hatzell or be recommended by another artist. For more information, visit www.fiddlersgreenstudio.com or call Hatzell at 605.341.0621.

Issue: October 2010

Filed under: Travel, Outdoors, Riding