sweethearts, roping fools and cowgirls suite "I like paradox, contradiction, color, lines and putting on paint–but not necessarily in that order." –Walter Piehl, Jr.
Statement
The 'sweetheart of the rodeo' series began several years
ago.
It has since gone through many technical and stylistic changes
although the concept for the work has remained constant. The
series is dedicated to the bucking horse, who I see as the real
sweetheart of the rodeo. The heart images reinforce the convic-
tion while providing a foil and counterbalance to the idea of
rodeo as subject. My intent is to address the action and energy
of the horse and rider in conflict, one aspect of rodeo, and pre-
sent it in a contemporary painterly manner.
The 'roping' fool series pays homage to
Will Rogers who
starred in a movie of that name. It, and the paintings, are a
tribute to those practitioners of the art of the lariat. Fancy
and
trick roping evolved from the everyday use of the catch rope on
cattle ranches throughout Mexico and North America. Here
again, the choice of color and technique are intended to com-
municate the action and energy of the rope spinner in an
updated formalist image.
[Walter Piehl's] latest works baffle the eye with agitated
motion and color. Done in sweeping lines that splash, dash
and splatter across the canvas, the saddle broncs, ropers and
rodeo competitors tremble like ghost images panned by a
camera. With scrawls that ignore detail, Piehl captures the
essence of rodeo action.
–Vicki
Voskuil, Bismarck Tribune
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North Dakota Art Gallery Association.