Back to Open Range

This is a 12" x 16" oil on canvas that I just finished.

I ride by this old fenceline often, as it is just down the road from my house. I usually find myself pondering the history of this fence. Who built it, and why? It probably remains from when much of this property that is privately owned up here belonged to one large ranch. But not many fences were put in, as this was "open range" country, with the cattle left to roam and graze freely. In the fall, huge "round-ups" were held to gather them in for the harsh winter, and ship. So I wonder about this fence.

To me, it represents the determination of man to tame this wild land, and the futility of it, too. The fence remains, but the man or men who built it? Who knows?