he'd seen many a season
come and go
watched thunderheads risin'
like ominous giants
lighting up the sky
strikin' 'cross the horizon
heard wild mustangs runnin'
down a high-walled canyon
felt the earth shake
as they made their way
four hundred hooves
pounding furiously
like a mighty wave
rode 'cross the sun-baked desert
parched and cracked and blistered
from an endless God-forsaken drought
the rotting corpses of his herd
scattered 'cross the range
vultures circlin' overhead
drawin' closer closer
hungerin' for the dead
he'd seen what this land could do
both good and bad
slept under a blanket of stars
so close you could almost
pluck them from the sky
ate a lot of dust
beheld a lot of perty country
watched the desert come alive
with color as wildflowers
blossomed and bloomed
showin' off like she was headin'
into town for a weekend dance
he belonged to her
he was a part of her
this much he knew for sure
and he'd never leave her
this too he knew for sure
~ poem "The Cowboy" by Michael Traveler
Art by Virgil C. Stephens
"Old School" ~ a self-portrait
http://www.notevena.com/
About the Artist:
Although his unique imagery covers a wide range of subject matter from Native Americans and cowboys to domestic animals and wildlife, he remains true to his heritage by portraying only what he knows from first hand experience. "I love to tell stories through my art and who knows my story better than me?" he explains.
Growing up on ranches in Arizona, Virgil spent most of his spare time drawing what life presented him. From his earliest doodling to his current oil paintings, his pencil and brush captures the richness of ranch life in America in poignant clarity.
Raising a family didn't afford the possibility of taking classes, so Virgil started reading books and studying paintings by famous artist and well known teachers in his spare time.
His family processed their own meat and poultry, and he was weaned on cows milk straight from the udder and strained through a part of the screen left over from the back porch door. Deer and elk were plentiful and there was never a shortage of venison in the freezer.
There were many times when saddling up to gather cattle, Virgil would stuff a camera in the saddle bags along with a can of Vienna sausages, so as not to miss an opportunity to capture a Kodak moment whenever the chance afforded itself.
Because of those times Virgil now has an extensive photographic library of cows, horses, wildlife, women and children (having two daughters and two sons), rodeo cowboys of questionable character, and other unique situations categorized in order of subject matter to draw upon when creating a piece of artwork.
Virgil and his wife Emily now reside high in the mountains of southern New Mexico, in the Loma Grande mountain range at the Notevena Ranch and Art Gallery.
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