Perched atop the corrals or catwalks above rodeos, artist Howard Post gets a view that rouses his muse. The patterns of cattle huddled together in the corral, or the linear outline of the fences create a vision that spawns his artistic vision and are a strong focus in the Arizona artist’s paintings.

Post, once an avid rodeo participant himself, discovered this birds-eye perspective by accident. To get a better look, he clambered up above the activity and discovered patterns and light that hadn’t been evident from his ground-level participation. The new perspective set his contemporary paintings of cattle, cowboys, rodeo arenas, and ranch life apart from other artist’ work. Now 71, he doesn’t follow the rodeo as much as in years past, nor does he savor climbing up on fences and catwalks, but the abstract quality continues to feature powerfully in his art.

Howard Post

Outside
Oil
30″x24″

“What can I say—I’m a sucker for the natural compositions created by animals together. A cool sky makes it even harder to resist.”

Howard Post

Autumn in the Canyon
Oil
30″x40″

“This painting was sparked by a scene in Zion National Park. The colors reflecting on the water were hard to resist.”