He’s part storyteller, part historian, and part movie director. That’s how Texas artist Xiang Zhang regards his role when he paints. And he takes his work so seriously that he combs the vast ranching landscapes of the Southwest in order to be as accurate as possible in his portrayals.

Xiang Zhang (Texas)

Simple Pleasure
Oil
20″ By 16″
I met this cowboy at my friend’s ranch. He was about 70 years old and looked so handsome on horseback. He lit a cigarette whenever he got the chance, during the roundup. My friend told me that he was the model for Marlboro advertising.

Xiang Zhang (Texas)

Soup’s On
Oil
36″ By 54″
After a long day working in the pasture, the cowboys were exhausted and starving. They loaded their horses in the trailer and came back to the chuck wagon to have a cup of coffee and wait for supper. The nice smell of the soup and the fried chicken made them even hungrier. They did not care about too many calories. No matter what age they were, each of them could eat three to five pieces of chicken.