Home Pastures 1915

Maynard Dixon made this painting, called 'Home Pastures', with oil on canvas, but the year is unknown. It's an everyday scene, but the way he handles the paint is pretty special. I can almost feel the sun beating down on those cowboys and their horses as they ride across that grassy field. Looking at the way Dixon applied the paint in these little blocks of color, I imagine him standing there, squinting, brush in hand, trying to capture that particular kind of light. You know, that warm, hazy glow you only get in the West? I love the way he defines the muscularity of the horses' bodies with simple blocks of warm color. What do you think he was thinking about when he made it? Dixon's approach reminds me of some of the Impressionists, but with a distinctly American flavor. Artists, we’re always riffing off each other, aren’t we? We are constantly having an exchange of ideas across time. For me, painting is an ongoing investigation, it embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for endless interpretations of the world around us.