This piece was a long time in the making, figuratively and literally. I first photographed this beautiful saddle at my friend Ramón's ranch several years ago in Los Olivos about 2 hours north of Los Angeles. I started the painting nearly 18 months ago, and it sat "nearly finished" for almost a year as I struggled and debated over a few closing elements of the painting. I finished it last month and am very happy with the final results. I named it "Vaquero" (Spanish for cowboy) for its origins as a Mexican charro saddle. These saddles are known for their emblematic large flat metal horn, much wider than a Western saddle. The incredible hand stitching throughout the leatherwork of this saddle contribute to it becoming my most time-intensive and detailed painting to date. I've actually joked that this painting is a self-portrait - if you look closely at the round metal concho in the bottom right corner of the saddle, the tiny black speck just left of the leather tassel is me (and the speck left of THAT is Robyn), reflected in the metal, capturing the reference photos.
