An earlier version of this article incorrectly listed the event name as “Artist Ride.” It has been corrected to “Fiddlers Green Productions.”

There will be plenty of action at the Bloom Ranch near Wall, South Dakota, for three days in August, as Western artists and photographers gather to get ideas for future works that will feature the Western past. During the invitation-only event on August 28, 29, and 30, they will gather together to take in the wonder and action in classic Western scenery that boasts high plains grasslands, colorful badlands, numerous hills, canyons, and drop-offs.

 

 

Fiddlers Green Productions is an annual, invitation-only event that provides on-the-spot inspiration as models portray cowboys, fur traders, cavalry troops, and Plains tribes for artists, who will spend their days sketching, composing, and photographing them. The Bloom Ranch is a historic third-generation cattle ranch located on the western edge of the Badlands National Park and is famous for its rugged Western landscape. In fact, it was included in several scenes in the “Dances with Wolves” movie and will certainly be featured in many of the artists’ future works.

 

 

The custom photo shoot is organized by Fiddlers Green Productions and is directed by artist and film professional Jim Hatzell, who has worked on more than 75 Western movies and TV projects and has organized this Trail Ride for 30 years. “I’m picky about my locations, and I love this ranch,” he says. “I like to run the photo shoot like a movie set. I have a wide variety of models, horses with period saddles, wardrobe, props, and weapons to assemble ideas for a story to paint. The artist is the final ingredient.”

 

 

Some artists, Hatzell says, bring with them, thumbnail drawings of the ideas they have for scenarios. “It is very helpful for me and my wranglers to get inside their heads and see what they would like,” he says. “I ask artists to send me their wish lists and try to get what they’re after.”