As Today's Artists of the American West
so Vividly Portray,
the Commitment of the Women Who Settled the
West Knew No Frontier
Western Art
By Myrna Zanetell
If they were seeking true Western heroes, however, the myth-makers missed the ones close at hand. If truth be told, petticoats and parasols won the West. Women brought with them the ideals of religion, education, and family values, the tools necessary to carve a civilization out of a raw frontier. Now that the general public has become more discerning, history is being rewritten on many levels, and visual artists are leading the way. Santa Fe sculptor Veryl Goodnight refers to her work as part of a "universal consciousness" that currently surrounds the subject of Western women. "Since I started my Women of the West series in 1985," she says, "there has been an explosion of information on the subject. Two new museums are being built to honor the cowgirl." Goodnight's own interest in Western women stems from her distant kinship with famed Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight. Indeed, her most recent bronze, Back From the Brink, is based on an actual incident in the life of Goodnight's wife, Mary Ann. When hide hunters began mercilessly slaughtering bison in the Texas Panhandle, this caring lady persuaded her husband to conceal a few animals in Palo Duro Canyon. Nearly a century later, stock from this gene pool has brought both the Northern and Southern bison herds back from the brink of extinction.
Forged as a result of the dreams of those seeking a better life, Western trails such as the Oregon and the Santa Fe were trod by both boots and by slippers. Cowboy Artists of America (CAA) artist Gary Niblett has traversed much of the ground covered by these settlers, and firsthand experience has given him insight into the strength and courage it took to survive harsh conditions and loneliness. "Life was very different then," he says. "If a man decided to head west, his wife had very little say in the matter. She simply supported his wishes and made the best of it." "For many women, the greatest sacrifice was not the hardships that lay ahead, but rather the realization they would probably never see parents or other family members again." Letters and diaries became a means of preserving these fragile ties, so travelers often wrote very detailed descriptions of their journeys. Inspired by these intimate writings, Niblett has depicted women preparing the nightly meal, making soap in a large kettle, and even burying those who fell victim to such common illnesses as typhoid and cholera.
In addition to performing traditional tasks such as cooking, washing, and tending to the children, a woman might also be called upon to grab a rifle in times of danger and help defend those she loved. CAA artist Grant Speed succinctly portrays this message in his sculpture The Lone Defender. "Although this woman is by herself, she is resolved not to become a victim. For their own protection, most women learned how to handle a gun very early, and they were not reluctant to use it on anyone who threatened them or their family," he says. Speed drew his inspiration for The Lone Defender from his own West Texas pioneer heritage. Nuggets of family history include stories told by his great grandmother Martha Jane Norton about the time she provided shelter to Cynthia Ann Parker, one of the West's most famous captives. As resourceful as the women she depicts, Santa Fe artist KC Willis celebrates her "flowers of the prairie" through a fascinating art form she calls "fiber fiction." Backed by her special "aged" canvas, the focal point of each work consists of photo transfers of women of the West along with quotes that tell their unique stories. Willis enhances the effect by adding vintage touches such as velvet ribbons, pillow ticking, nosegays, bone buttons, and even old shoe buckles. In Willis' eyes, all of her women are heroes. Some are famous historical personages such as Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane, but most are unknown women she has selected from her collection of old-time photos. She personalizes each piece by adding words appropriate to the character. "Sometimes I don't even know their names," the artist says, "yet I have the audacity to put words into their mouths. I especially like doing this when the woman is anonymous. She has probably never been quoted in her life, and for the first time she has a voice through my work. One of my favorites is an image of a pioneer mom, just a Western-settler, sod-buster type. The mom reflects, 'They look to the men to be heroes, but we were the women who raised the boys who became those men.'"
These cowgirls are a favorite subject for Colorado artist Terri Kelly Moyers, who loves the spirit these women projected. "Most of these women were tougher than they looked," she says. "They often had to make choices that were not the most popular, but they did what they had to do in order to survive in what was primarily a man's world. In doing so, they were responsible for breaking down many of the social mores, paving the way for the liberated women of the next generation. The most exciting aspect of all is that they did this without losing their femininity." In the end, this is perhaps the true fascination surrounding the Western woman. Although she represents a piece of history, she is also the precursor of today's heroines who have traded calico and covered wagons for business suits and cell phones. Times have not really changed, for it is still the woman's touch that gentles the world and makes it a better place in which to live. |
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