"Branding" 18x22 oil $3600

One of the earliest commissions of Dix Baines’ art career was to paint the land of a 50,000 acre working ranch here in Colorado for the owner.  Dix set out one weekend and headed for the ranch, which was located in northern Colorado, and spent a few days absorbing the atmosphere of the area and watching the cowboys do their work.  Dix always feels that in order to really depict an image, one must live and breath the image before putting it into paint.  That means not just photographing the image and taking it back to the studio, but painting the image on location while feeling the elements work on you, as they work on the subject whether land or people. To feel the wind blow on his face, smell the smoke as the cattle were branded, and feel the dirt as it gets kicked up by all the cowboys, make it easier for Dix Baines to put the entire experience onto the canvas, rather than just a copy of the image. The painting “Branding,” an 18×22 oil, will be one of 5 paintings by Dix Baines that will be included in the Briscoe Museum 2012 Night of the Artists.  To learn more about the show or to purchase tickets for the opening Gala, visit http://www.briscoemuseum.com/night-of-artists/ –Kathlyn Gogarty-Baines