Crouched behind a wooden fence, tail down, ears perked, heart racing, he watches. His auburn fur blends into the fall grass and vines, a perfect camouflage from the danger galloping across the field, as horses, dogs, and riders in red coats are leaping, yelping, scrambling—all searching for him. A seasoned adversary, he knows not to move a muscle. He stays perfectly still, his eyes watching for clues to his next move—his chance to change his fate.

Outfoxed is a spellbinding story of being hunted told by Ezra Tucker with acrylics on a three-foot board. He paints animals with so much animation and depth of personality that viewers become emotionally attached to them. “Some artists are photographically real, but realism overexplains the image,” Tucker says. “I want to have people use their imaginations.”

Read the full article in the July/August 2022 issue.

Between Matinees

Acrylic
20″ by 30″

“In 1883, William F. Cody started his Buffalo Bill’s Wild West extravaganza as an outdoor spectacle designed to educate and entertain. It was the first and prototypical Wild West show that featured theatrical reenactments of battle scenes that contained a cast of hundreds, as well as live buffalo, elk, cattle, and other animals and trick performances. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show traveled with a small herd of North American bison during its 30-year tours across North America and Europe. The American bison was one of the central attractions to the circus, like spectacle simulating a buffalo hunt with actual Native American performers recruited from many of the Plains tribes. While trying to rebuild his Wild West, which had been steadily losing its luster with the public, the show went bankrupt in 1913. He was forced to join the Sells-Floto Circus, which helped Cody to continue his extravaganza until April 13, 1915.”

Called To Duty

Acrylic
30″ by 40″

“The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments of the Buffalo Soldiers patrolled the territories of the Western frontier following the American Civil War. The Buffalo Soldiers were significant in their duties in Indian Territory to preserve the peace with Native Americans. Although many of these soldiers were vehemently opposed to Washington’s policies towards Native Americans, some assignments had Buffalo Soldiers guarding Natives from white soldiers, lawmen, or aggressive white civilians.

“My inspiration for creating this painting comes from my interest in and my research of a series of paintings I am producing to tell the seldom-told history of many people of African descent who were important and involved in the settling of the Western regions of the United States of America. I imagined this dramatic scene of a regiment of Buffalo Soldiers charging forward to perform an assigned task. Their duties included capturing cattle rustlers and thieves and protecting settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains, and railroad crews along the Western front. These men underwent intense training to perform their duties. They were revered for their valiant efforts and feats to defend and protect.”