Sponsoring Ranch Brands
Sambo & Denise Smith, Heppner, Oregon

Wm & Cory Dunten

Reversed LS Ranch, Lamoille, NV

Buttercreek Cattle Co.
Steve and Lisanne Currin

Sunburst J Livestock
John & Celia Moyer

Hotchkiss Company

Rod & Cindy Hoagland
Question Mark 4 Quarter Circle

Lazy V Adventures

Healy Ranch
Since 1883

Lance & Kristi Brown
Heppner, OR

Wilkinson
Ranches LLC
Heppner, OR

Pam And Mark Wunderlich
Heppner, OR

O'Brien Ranch
Heppner, Oregon

Kevin, Angie, Jessica & Makenzi Hughes
Quality Simm X Angus Cattle &
Cub Calves
Heppner, OR

Dick Snow, Mule Shoe Ranch
Echo, OR

Triple Rolling S
Stewart & Michelle Severe
Burns, OR

Nevada First Corporation
Heppner, OR

Bar 41 Ranch
Pendleton, OR |
'in
the Company of Cowgirls'
Cowgirls come in all kinds. Most fit
your typical picture of a cowgirl with a big western hat, vest, wild
rag, boots, jeans and spurs.....some true cowgirls don't look that way
at all, focused more on practical gear that fits the muddy, freezing
weather that is part of ranch life for a good part of the year. But
all cowgirls have at their core an interest in horses and handling the
cattle that they raise for a livelihood. "In The Company of Cowgirls"
celebrates these women and the unique skills all cowgirls are expected
to have.
Cowgirls need to understand cows. It's that simple.
How, with a subtle system of pressure and release, and the ability to
read the body language of cattle, either a herd can be moved or an individual
animal can be separated out of the herd. When mother cows and their
babies are gathered into a bunch, cowgirls need to know how to mother
them up so that the babies are not abandoned or separated from their
moms if the herd is split. Cowgirls need to know how to turn a run-a-way
herd while keeping their place in the gather. A good cowgirl knows that
not all cows are alike, that there are cows who have special personalities:
some snuffy ones who will run you up over a fence every chance they
get, and some who want to eat out of your hand; some who will run at
the site of a horseback rider, and some who know to quietly lead the
herd home. All cowgirls know the relationship between the daily care
of cattle and the end result of how much they weigh on shipping day
when the cattle producer is paid for the gain.
Cowgirls also
need to know how to work as a team with their horses to get ranch work
done. They generally begin early to build this relationship, by starting
their own colts. They work hard to teach their horses a fast ground-eating
walk or an easy long trot when miles have to be covered. They want their
horse to be able to go through bogs without falling apart, up and down
hills without refusing, to cross creeks and rivers without hesitation,
to be able to turn quickly if charged by a mad cow, and to run fast
to turn back a runaway herd. Whether it be deep forest, steep hills,
sagebrush-covered desert, swampy or dusty, the cowgirl and her horse
must be together on moving through the obstacles they face in the different
environments. Cowgirls want their horses to step over big logs, not
jump them; to weave through timber and rotted logs and not be upset
with a branch hitting their face; to move through big sagebrush or manzanita
bushes fearlessly and boldly; to watch for badger holes, wire and other
dangers; to not lose complete control when stung by bees; and to sidle
right up to gates that can be opened ahorseback. Cowgirls who rope need
their horse to be steady under pressure and to pull with all their heart.
And many a cowgirl wants, on her rare days off, to be able to take that
same horse to "town" for a rodeo, roping or barrel race and have the
horse handle that pressure, too.
Then there are the practical
matters of modern ranching: running the equipment for feeding and haying,
changing irrigation pipes, and knowing how to hookup to the gooseneck
stock trailer and haul a load of cattle or horses across miles of rough,
inhospitable country. Women on ranches most generally are responsible
for feeding the crew too.
Our artists are picking moments in
the lives of these strong and self-reliant women to honor them and give
them the recognition they often don't receive in ranch family units
where everyone typically works as hard as the next person, man or woman.
All these things that make a "cowgirl" are what we are celebrating with
our show, "In The Company of Cowgirls."
For more thoughts on "cowgirls" and
cowgirls and their bonds with horses, see our
Cowgirls page with written tidbits from our women friends and artists.
'in the Company
of Cowgirls'
Dates for 2010:
May 6-9 - four days and expanded artist base.
May 18, 2010- Art work winners has been posted. Click here for a list of the
chosen artists with links to their work! Art work is for sale!
Some of the
best Women Western Artists have submitted work for a juried and
judged special showing of Art to be held in Hamley's Cattle Barons
Ballroom.
For 2010, "In the Company of Cowgirls" organizer, Denise Smith,
herself a working cowgirl and artist, enlisted an outstanding juror
for the show,
Michael Booth. Mr. Booth is the head of the Art Department at
the College as well as an accomplished sculptor and painter, from
Pendleton, Oregon. The best of submissions will be chosen from the
invited artists from around the country. What sets this show apart
is the authentic nature of the viewing experience. Paintings,
sculpture, photographs and other media were carefully chosen to
capture the heart of the cowgirl experience. In many cases, the
artists themselves, have been or are cowgirls too.
The Western
Art will have
awards for Best of Show, Cattleman's Choice, a Hard Twist Award,
(Artists will judge this) and People's Choice. Original works
in Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Graphite, Mixed Media, Sculpture, and
Photography will all be for sale. The work of the invited Artists
showed the variety of viewpoints there are for interpreting women's
involvement in the agricultural/ranch/rodeo heritage of Oregon.
An
artist's reception will be held at Pendleton's renowned Hamley's
Steakhouse in the Cattle Barons Ballroom. It will kick off Cattle
Baron's Weekend, an event featuring a Western Classics Gelding Sale
and preview, ranch bronc riding, and, for the first time,
team-branding. Also included in the events are mutton bustin',
championship Dutch-oven cook off, saloon crawl, & Calcutta. The
Cattle Barons Weekend, now in its third year, is on its way to
becoming a well-established event. Crowds from all over the Pacific
Northwest are expected to come.
This will be an exceptional show, certainly worth traveling long
distances to see and a great opportunity for you collectors to
acquire authentic collectible western art in several media.
2010 Award Winners
Best of Show
Ann Ayres, Texas, Bonnie McCarol - Pendleton Roundup 1915
Cattleman's Choice
Lee Raine, Take the Hard Shot
Hard Twist
Faye Taylor, Trouble's Brewin'
Peoples Choice
Brenna Tyler, Sagebrush Cowgirl
2009 Award Winners
Best of Show
Longhorn Pair by Jan Stiver
Cattleman's Choice
Katie Williams by Mary Hyde
Hard Twist
Cowgirl Express by Marti Rhea
Peoples Choice
Saturday Nite Recap by Kim Ragsdale
See
Artists

Hamley & Co's Cattle
Barons' Ballroom.
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We particularly
wish to thank our art show sponsors for 2010 who include:

Hamley & Co., Pendleton, Oregon,
"The Holy
Grail for Cowboys"

Pendleton Cattle Baron's
Weekend Web site
Oregon Women for Agriculture
Agri-Times Northwest

HALE
Farms
Echo, Oregon

Willow Creek Rocky Mt. Horses LLC
Heppner, OR
Corsair Angus
Ione, Oregon
Buttercreek Cattle Co.
Heppner, OR
Lee Raine
www.cowboyshowcase.com
Home of the Western Spirit
Denise Smith
www.denisesmithsranchstudio.com
authentic ranch, cowboy, and buckaroo life in
western fine art photographs and prints.
For
sponsorship information please contact Denise Smith:
rafterlazyh2@yahoo.com
'in the Company of Cowgirls' Artshow
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