Gary Byrd - Fine Art

The American West is much more than epic landscapes that capture our imaginations - it’s a set of ideals. From hard-working American grit to being a good neighbor, loyal to your loved ones, and striving to build a better life. The West helped define our country and is still a beacon of what life could be. That's why we still journey the Tetons and stand in wonder. It’s why a sunset over the Arizona desert still leaves us breathless. It’s easy to imagine how life was and easier still to long for those days in spite of their difficulties. 

Running into an old friend when you move to another state is more than chance. So when I found Gary Byrd, a long-time friend and fellow landman from Oklahoma, in Northern New Mexico I knew something was weaving our stories together. It turns out we both were drawn to the American West, and were seeking to portray its stories in our art. For Gary, he has found that outlet with his brush and for myself, my writing and performances.

Gary has been painting since 1993 and has studied under renown artists such as Greg Beecham, John Seerey-Lester, Martin Grelle, Dustin Van Wechel, Chad Poppleton, Charles Dayton and Jim Wilcox. His work focuses on the people, animals, and landscape of the American West and he is frequently on tour across the country. Collectors, like myself, find inspiration in his work as each, no matter the subject, invites you into a story you get to play out in your mind.

Living in New Mexico provides unlimited sources of inspiration for my writing. However, there’s something special about being in my home, drinking my morning coffee, and getting to take in Gary’s work. I often find myself wondering what it must have been like to discover the West for the first time as it was centuries ago. Did people know what they would encounter as they set off for better lives over the Rocky Mountains? Did they know their encounters with new tribes would be forging history? What must it be like to see places like Utah after months traveling through the plains!

I like to call myself the Unlikely Cowboy because I truly did stumble upon this love for the Cowboy Spirit and the American West. The beauty of this moniker is it serves as a universal welcoming call to adopt its ideals and feel the inspiration in the American West. A call for you to discover how to embody it in your own life. Not everyone is going to be spending summers herding cattle or baling hay. Not everyone will learn how to rope or maybe even get to saddle their own horse. But there’s something more to the American West for us to appreciate, even if it’s for a few days as we drive across the West. That’s what Gary’s work represents to me and it has been a pleasure becoming familiar with his work. 

It’s always humbling to hear how my poetry touches people from all walks of life. I have to imagine, hearing about Gary’s collectors and the shows he attends, that he too must find similar satisfaction in embarking on this mission to preserve and share the stories of the American West, one painting at a time.

To see more of gary’s work, visit his website and be sure to follow him on facebook & instagram!

Texas Sunset

He said “Son get yourself in this pickup truck,

And I’ll treat you to a special event.”

Stuck behind that windshield all day

I was feel’n ‘Bout three quarters spent.

But, we load’d up and took off for his spread,

as shadows stretched cross the road,

N’ he recalled a tale ‘bout the”Rock’n Chair Ranch,”

as my surrounding began to erode.

As we stood there facing the western sky,

sun rest’n on the saddleback rim,

The wind laid down to noth’n at all,

then he turned, tugged his hat by the brim

And said “SOn, when things aren’t going my way

and my match I think I’ve met,

noth’n gets me lined out and think’n straight

like listen’n to a texas sunset.”

We stood there silent under that sky

and watched the first star appear.

a hoot owl called from the shelter belt,

then silence was all i could hear.

In a rush it seemed stars filled the sky,

and the starlight whispered down;

just barely enough to see things close,

on the horizon the glow of some town.

though i can’t always get there in person,

I’ve relied on it many a time;

When this old world starts get’n me down,

and i know that im just about prime

to start to give in or go off the deep end,

on one thing, my friend, you can bet.

i’ll find me a nice quiet place to hole up,

and listen to a texas sunset.

Bull Riding

He was beginning to think as he mixed a drink

Of a way to spice things up

When a bull caught his gaze through the evening haze

As he was filling his cup

He began to wonder bout that bull over yonder

In his mind he began to see

A puncher or a hack climbing onto his back

To find out what was to be.

As dinner was preparing a few were raring

To move this idea along

They fashioned together some panels with leather

To make a chute that was strong

With just a handle of rope they found some dope

To climb aboard the beast

When they pulled the gate to determine his fate

Nothin’ happened not in the least

So they fashioned some hackles around his testackles

Then cinched it up good and tight

They again pulled the chute and all let out hoot

The rider was in for a fight

From the beginning there was bucking and spinning

And fear in the cowboy's eyes

It soon became clear when the dirt meets the rear

That's where the real danger lies

Having seen what occurred was absolutely absurd

The talk now focused again

On the ticks of the clock once you’ve released the stock

To determine a rider’s win

So they counted to eight when they swung the gate

And most all of the riders found

That was hard to get done when attempting the run

Before ending up on the ground.

So now we find whiskey mixed up with risky

Is behind Rodeo’s main event.

Created by ones bored with an empty gourd

Now I’m pretty sure that’s how it went

So now you all know what has started this show

Of carless Cowboy pursuit

That has us enthralled till the rider is sprawled

Once they have opened the chute.